A Million Pieces of Eight
by Miasmic
Summary: "Yes," Sasuke said, now addressing both men, "I am Captain Sasuke Uchiha. The fiercest pirate in the world." He was scary, yet blindingly handsome. And he was the last thing Sakura expected to find after sneaking onto a pirates' vessel. / Pirate-fic SasuSaku AU. In progress and still active - Will never be abandoned, so go on and read!
1. The Sharpened Cutlass

**Standard Disclaimer Applies.**

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><p>| [A Million Pieces of Eight] |<p>

Chapter I: The Sharpened Cutlass

By Miasmic

It was anything but a regular cloudy day for the inhabitants of Port Rotunda. The sailors, after longs hours of persistence, were dejectedly docking their ships to head back home, knowing all too well that today's failure would account for tomorrow's income, and that it would also accrue in some frighteningly angry wives. Merchants and shoppers were steadily preparing themselves for the oncoming storm, promenading down the dirt roads and packing away goods. Everyone seemed in distress except for one old man who didn't seem to mind the moistening air and the threatening sky. He sat along a dock, barely visible behind the stacks of cargo and stray barrels, a long fishing rod in hand and a carefree grin plastered on his white bearded face. No one knew why he was always there— everyday, nearly— and still none have dared to question it, for fear of him being mad. It wasn't like the man was bothering anyone; he was just peculiar. No normal person did what he did on a regular basis.

But today wasn't a regular cloudy day.

And the old man was the first to realize this.

In the distance, on the horizon, a tiny black dot appeared. It wasn't until the dot had come closer that the old man tipped his straw hat up further to take a gander. There, not too far, was a ship, and a large one at that. Its sails were pitch black and atop it flew a banner flaunting a symbol. He squinted at the vessel, deducing that it was a military ship, most likely. Only, military ships had no black sails.

The old man carried on gazing at the object, watching as it drew closer and closer and closer until finally the insignia of the flag became clear, disproving his former thoughts and causing the thin piece of wheat he had been chewing to fall from his agape mouth into the waves below.

"Pirates," He hissed, gathering up his things hurriedly and rushing off the dock. Curious stares were aimed at his back as he stumbled away, only to be sated when a young boy called their attention to the ocean, pointing at the object of panic.

"Look look! Pirates!" He acknowledged, a gleeful smile on his tiny lips. His mother hushed him, faintly wondering why he knew what a pirate's flag looked like, let alone why it excited him. The boy's statement gradually caused a murmur of dread among the lingering citizens, some already heading home and others now making plans to.

Port Rotunda never got pirates. Ever.

By the time the ship docked the streets were empty; wastelands. Not a sound was heard nor a soul seen, and if perhaps there had been no wind present, a pin drop would seem deafening. Not even the slightest bit affected by the scene, the pirates laid a bridge down to the dock and filed out— shoved out, rather— raucously, making the terrified townspeople peek through the cracks of their shutters. A man, standing at the very exit of the ship gave orders to the crew. He was a very handsome fellow, with hair so raven black that it nearly matched the sails, and his face, in contrast to his hair, was pale and smooth; flawless yet angled. The white, loosely sleeved shirt was open at the collar, revealing a toned chest. Atop that he bore a brown vest which, also unbuttoned at the collar, fell mid-thigh, fastened at the waist with a leather belt. Being clad in regular navy trousers tucked below the knee into his boots, no one would have guess that he was a pirate; all the more a Captain. To everyone who saw him, he was just a fit lad— probably of middle to lower class— who needed a bit of washing up. No pirate. No, he was too handsome to be a pirate.

And yet there he stood, commanding a crew, _his_ crew, to be ready for departure at storm's end.

Still noisy, the crowd of pirates strolled into a nearby pub, taking seats at any empty tables they could find in the frozen room, while the Captain ambled over to the counter. His dark eyes met with the bartender's— a stocky man— causing him to halt in his glass cleaning.

"Rum," the Captain said, seating himself on one of the shaky stools, "For all of them, as well."

Immediately the stocky man's sent his people to work as he himself poured the finest rum he could find for the Captain. He watched cautiously as his customer sniffed the goblet before gulping the liquid in one swig. A bead of sweat that had formed on his brow trickled down his temple, a slow breath of relief escaping through his nose. The Captain glanced up at him curiously, reaching for his belt and pulling out a knife.

"M-more rum, Sir?" the bartender asked, backing up a bit.

"No," the Captain said, repeatedly stabbing the wooden counter with what seemed to be boredom. He glanced up once again at the man, sensing the aura of fear radiating from not just him, but from the workers and non-pirate guests as well. This annoyed the Captain.

"What's your name?" He inquired, a bit forcefully. He halted his maiming of the wood, holding the knife tight.

"H-Hideki, Sir."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, S-sir," the man said, more sweat dripping from his brow.

"Who?"

"You're a pirate. The one and only Cap'n Sasuke Uchiha."

It wasn't the man that had answered the question. Sasuke turned to his right— where the voice had come from—, a fury building in his chest at the person's eavesdropping. What he saw was a man in a large straw hat sitting calming a few stools down. This man simply stared straight ahead, preventing the Captain from making clear eye contact.

"Yes," Sasuke said, now addressing both men, "I am Captain Sasuke Uchiha. The fiercest pirate in the world."

"_Second_ fiercest, Cap'n. And the youngest, as well," The straw hat man corrected, guzzling his spirits, still staring in front. Sasuke glowered at the man's profile as the bartender simply stood, baffled. He drew his eyebrows together, voicing his confusion:

"Who's the first, if I may ask?"

"The Cap'n of the Seventeen Sails."

"There is no proof that the man even exists," Sasuke countered, suddenly having the urge to drink more rum, "For all any pirate knows, him, as well as that blasted ship, are legend."

"No, the man exists, as be the ship."

"How do you know?" The bartender asked.

"'Cause I've seen 'im."

"Then I s'pose you've been to Davy Jones locker as well," Sasuke uttered, quickly losing the heavy sarcasm, "No one has seen him. No pirate, no man."

"Well that's 'cause 'e's too fast for ye, mate. They don't call 'er the Seventeen Sails for jest," the man chuckled, sipping more rum and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, "Aye, I've seen 'er and 'im. Quite fast I reckon 'em being. Took buckets of time to catch with 'em too."

"You're a pirate." Sasuke stated, ordering more rum.

"No no, matey. Me was. But no more. Me ship and crew was destroyed in a terrible storm, and since I've sworn against piracy," the man casted his eyes down, frowning visibly before he quickly turned and stood, his back to Sasuke, "Well it was a pleasure chattin' with ye. Afraid I must take me leave."

Before the man disappeared, Sasuke caught sight of a metal chain around his wrist, a bracelet of some sorts, with a charm linked loosely on. He couldn't make out what it was of before the old straw hat man vanished just as quickly as he'd seem to appear, leaving in his trail a new air of curiosity that Sasuke couldn't help but inhale.

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><p>| (He's a Pirate) |<p>

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><p>Sakura was in the sitting room when a dull commotion was heard from outside. Her mother, who was making a bit of herbal tea, shared a curious glance with her. What on earth could be so important at this hour? She stood, straightening her dress, a beautiful green garment that her mother had made on her own as a child, and opened the shutters. She couldn't see much passed the rivers of pouring rain that loitered down the glass. And the strand of flower pink hair that fell from her enormous up-do only further poked at Sakura's raging interest. She turned to her mother, who was staring at her with those matching green eyes in wonder.<p>

"Mother," she said, "May I go out to see?"

"Of course, dear," Her mother responded, pausing to lean forward and peek out the window from where she stood, "Mind the rain, though. I don't want you getting ill."

Sakura nodded, grabbing the parasol next to the coats and cracking the front door. The rain was like a heavy veil over the town, flooding the streets and urging people to flock indoors. Sakura opened her parasol, and stepped out carefully, lifting her dress from the ground with one hand. She called a lady over.

"Miss! Miss, excuse me!" She hollered, though none too unladylike. The woman, presumably middle aged, hustled over to stand under the parasol's protection, "Would you mind explaining what's going on?"

"_Pirates_," the lady hissed, brown eyes wide and frantic, "Bolt your doors."

Without another word she took off, holding her hat against her head as the wind blew.

Sakura knotted her brows together and bit her lip, leisurely stepping back into her home. "Mother," she announced, a bit unsure, "One woman tells me of pirates…"

"Pirates?" Her mother squeaked, barreling for the door and locking it, "The shutters, Sakura! Quickly now!"

Sakura did as told, watching her mother paced the sitting room with a terrified look on her face, forgetful of the warm cup of tea she had just poured herself. "But Mother, we've never had pirates here before. I'm sure this is a misunderstanding."

Her mother, who once was an elegant, beautiful creature, now looked mad, stressed lines marking her soft features. Sakura knew exactly why she was acting like this.

Not long after settling in Port Rotunda, Sakura's mother had met with a wonderful, exquisite, yet peculiar, man— a man with many secrets, she soon realized. He wasn't of wealth, or of substantial social value, but Sakura's mother didn't care. She was more in love with him than she had ever been in her entire life. And he loved her too, supposedly. They became engaged, soon married, and then had planned on beginning a family.

But the wonderful man left unexpectedly; with a new love. The sea.

Sakura shrunk at the thought, wondering how a father could simply leave his family to become a bloody pirate. Hearing that story from her mother so long ago, hearing of the struggles she was afterwards put through, invented a dream inside of Sakura that she would never admit to her mother. A resolve so outwardly foolish, yet so inwardly meaningful. So influential and life changing…

Sakura wanted, against all odds, to find her father and bring him back home. She wanted the family she never had. And these pirates in town were her only chance at pursuing this dream, especially with their visit being such a rare case.

Of course, if her mother _ever_ discovered this goal, she may faint— but not before locking Sakura in some far away tower, a great distance from the ocean.

"Pirates are filthy, putrid, _monsters_!" Her mother bit out, still horrified at the news, "Regardless of whether this is truth, I will not take chances!"

Sakura frowned, simply nodding her head and saying reluctantly, "Of course, Mother. Would you like me to go up to bed? I do believe it's safer there." Sakura didn't like lying to her mother; however desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Please do," her mother sighed, sitting down and rubbing her temple.

Sakura was aware that the pirates wouldn't leave until the storm was passed. (Reading a few spare parchments she managed to con off of the fishermen really helped, particularly with this). She supposed that would give her at least until dawn— enough time to prepare her escape and make a plan. For a split second, though, she was hesitant, remembering her mother and her inevitable fury, and the grief to come once she found out. But, Sakura reassured herself, it would all be for the better. She would arrive home with her father, and she would be forgiven.

She hoped.

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><p>| (Yo Ho Yo Ho a Pirate's Life For Me) |<p>

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><p>Sakura crept along the docks, bent over as she sneakily tip toed toward the large pirate ship. The sky was clear and dark, the way it was directly before sunrise, and the air smelled of cold seawater. She adjusted the flamboyant bandana concealing her soft pink locks, making sure the hat on top was snug and hid the pile of hair underneath. Adorning her right eye was a patch— something that made her feel unusually and counter-productively vulnerable— and her pirate disguise was the least bit inconspicuous; just a few clothes she'd manage to scrounge up over the years. But it would have to do.<p>

Once she reached the base of the ship's bridge Sakura hesitated, scanning the area for any silhouettes or movement. Should she really go along with this? She had been thinking over that nearly the entire journey down. She didn't dare question why the pirates hadn't left yet— the storm was long gone. And although this was a blessing, she couldn't help but think of horrible scenarios that could come out her decision. What would happen of her mother? Once she found Sakura's letter in the morning, what would she do? How would she react?

And if Sakura failed, what would the pirates do to her? Would they bring her back to the docks?

Sakura shook away the guilt and anxiety, taking a slow step onto the bridge. The wood under her feet squeaked, begging her to be gentler. As she padded to the lower deck she took a moment to consider what this meant. There was no turning back now. It was dicey to keep going, but Sakura accepted the risks this decision brought, and knew there were no more chances for hesitation, for any minute the pirates would be up and at work. Her only problem no was finding the ladder that led to the crews quarters. Since Sakura had little knowledge on the pirate life, her search proved to be even harder. Where in the world would such a place be? Under the deck for sure, but how to get there?

After nearly ten minutes of search and feel, about as quietly as the floorboards would allow, Sakura found a ladder near one of the masts. Gingerly she maneuvered down, creeping into an area dimly lit by a nearby lantern. The place was crowded with dirty, occupied hammocks, and Sakura caught a gag as an intense, putrid smell of body odor, rum, and salt filled her lungs. Luckily the blaring melodies of snoring covered her stifle, also giving her the advantage to roam without worrying about the noisy floorboards. Quickly she found an empty hammock and slithered in (1).

Only a few seconds had passed of Sakura laying there, struggling to get used to the awful stench, when the sun rose. Her heart lit when she saw the lighting blue sky through the quarter's entrance. Sun meant departure, and departure meant Sakura was a sail closer to reaching her father.

At the sound of loud banging against metal, an iron bell, Sakura almost jumped out of her hammock, her heart racing. All around her the men were rising, rushing to throw a few garments on. "Set sail!" A man yelled from the deck, peeking his head into the crew's quarters.

"Up up up boy!" An old, grumpy looking pirate urged, shaking Sakura's hammock, "Orders say set sail."

Sakura stumbled up, clueless. This wasn't part of the plan! She was supposed to stay in the quarters unnoticed until the ship had successful left port. There was no way she knew how to 'set sail' like a proper sailor. She'd be found out before the anchor was even lifted.

"Step to, boy!" The man commanded, shoving her towards the pandemonium of people that were climbing up the ladder.

"Lift the rode, climb the ratlines, and begin rigging! And make haste, at that! We leave before the first soul arrives in the marketplace!"

Sakura stood, bumping against the jumble of workers on deck in attempt to orient herself. Everyone was moving about so swiftly and deftly, covering all areas of the ship, and she didn't know what to do. The same old man shoved her along, saying, "You best be on your toes, cabin boy, or the death to pay by the Cap'n. Now on you go. Man the lines!"

Sakura, terrified and puzzled, raced to make herself look busy, taking hold of a stray rope and pulling lightly. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing, however, as long as it attracted as little attention as possible, she was fine. Within a matter of minutes the crew— minus Sakura— had turned the sails to catch wind, leading them away from land and into the vast sea. Sakura sighed, watching the town she had lived in for so long became distant. It was a depressing sight, she had to admit.

The crew seemed to settle at the completion of this job. On the upper deck, by the enormous wooden steering wheel two men were conversing about navigation, and all along to lower deck the rest were about their own businesses. "Cabin boy!" the old man called from against the ships railing, his face stern, serious, as he motioned for Sakura, "Come hither!"

Sakura took a step and fell, the floors rocking with the flow of the sea. This feeling of instability was foreign to Sakura and took a bit of effort to overcome as she wobbled over to her caller. As she approached the man scrutinized her stance.

"What happened to yer sea legs, lad? Gotten accustomed to the landlubber life so soon?" He questioned.

"N-no," Sakura lied, straining to deepen her voice, "Simply a bad case of exhaustion. I didn't get much sleep the other night."

The man made a face at her, narrowing his pearly blue eyes, "Say, have you been here long?"

"No not quite, sir—"

"Hold, boy," He interrupted, scanning over her suspiciously, "What tongue have you eaten?"

Sakura tilted her head slightly, "Eaten?"

"Me keeping a weather eye on you," he warned, low and menacing, causing Sakura stiffened with the realization at what he was initially getting at. It hadn't registered before that the way she spoke was infinitely different from the typical sailor. Her speech was _atrocious_ (or rather the opposite) to the pirate people. It was outlandish and clean and precise and made her stick out like raised hair. Not to mention her shameful choice of suit.

"Off with you, before the Cap'n bends his ears to this. And be seen and not heard," he ordered, and Sakura wobbled back over to where she was, only to be faced with a young man not much older than she. He sported black, spiky hair and wore incongruously unsoiled clothing. Sakura frowned at the aura of pride and power he emitted.

"Cabin boy," he addressed, his voice silky and smooth and authoritative, "The deck needs swabbing. Step to."

"Pardon me, sir, I would but…" Sakura cringed inwardly at her failed attempt to speak like a pirate, looking up at the handsome man desperately. He raised a dark brow at her efforts, arms crossed and mocking. In the back of her mind Sakura noted that this man must hold some sort of position. He was scary, yet blindingly elegant and somehow pretty. And to think he held the title of pirate; a noun which should be a worldwide synonym for disgusting.

"Swab the deck. You've learned, haven't you, cabin boy?"

A sweat began to start on Sakura's brow as the man continued to pressure her, his onyx stare weighing nearly a thousand fish. He was looking through her, it seemed, and that made Sakura fidget in place. What did he know? And why was he talking to her like that… like she was some child.

"Yes,"

"Then step to."

Sakura turned, scanning the deck for a swab, whatever that was. She took a few cautious steps forward, her knees shaking with unease.

"Hold fast," the young man blurted suddenly, tempting Sakura to turn back around, "Come."

Sakura lumbered back to him, knees still shaking.

"Your name, cabin boy."

"My name?"

"Your name."

Sakura searched her frantic mind for something, stuttering out the first word, the first name, she could think of, "F-Frederick, sir."

"Alright Frederick," he mused, a mischievous smirk lifting his lips, "Continue."

As Sakura gyrated around once more she knew something was off. Behind her the presence of the man lurked closer, closing in on her backside so fast she had no time to think before an icy, sharp cutlass was pressed against the soft skin of her neck.

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><p>| (Hoist The Colours) |<p>

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><p><strong>AN: (1) Haha "Slithered In" ;)**

** I just saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2, don't judge. **

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	2. A Pirate's Life For Me

**Warning: This is a REALLY long chapter :)**

**Standard Disclaimer Applies**

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><p>| [A Million Pieces of Eight] |<p>

Chapter II: A Pirate's Life For Me

By Miasmic

The man held Sakura close, a strong arm wrapped around her torso, while the other clutched the razor-sharp blade against the soft ivory of her skin. Sakura grunted, backing into the man in attempt to escape the cold metal. The man only tightened his clasp and leaned in on her ear, his hot breath raising hairs on her neck.

"What are you doing on my ship?" He hissed. Before Sakura could so much as open her dry mouth she was dragged backwards, the warmth from his words vanishing. A crowd had begun to gather around the scene, curious pirates shooting wary glances at girl still stuck in the man's hold. In one quick instant Sakura felt her entire getup— bandana, eye patch, and hat— vanish from her head, having been thrown overboard, the waves engulfing the garments without a sound. Having no restraint, pink, silky hair cascaded down, glimmering in early morning sun. The man spoke aloud, this time to the crew, "Which unfortunate fellow decided to lug a woman aboard?"

His voice was calm and collected, not the least bit angry. It was as if it was no surprise that he had found her out, as if a woman on board was a common occurrence. He probably knew she wasn't a part of the crew the second he laid eyes on her, Sakura thought, biting her lip and inwardly cursing her horrible disguise. A murmur broke out followed by complete silence as a single man stood out from the crowd, his hair in a high, spiky ponytail. "I don't believe anyone did, Cap'n."

"Hn. So you're a stowaway," He deadpanned, releasing Sakura into the empty circle in the middle of the crowd. She gazed back at her capturer, eyes wide and expectant. His back was turned to her as he began to walk away— something that angered Sakura, for some strange reason— making it impossible to see his face. She wondered what he was going to do with her. As if he had read her thoughts he announced, "Tie her up. Shikamaru, inform the navigator that we are to head back to port."

Sakura felt panic pulse through her veins, the thumps of her heart against her ribcage more vigorous than before. Several pirates had already closed in to restrain her, the first sweaty hand placed on her forearm causing a shiver to run up her spine. "WAIT!" She called out as more and more of the smelling men surrounded her, grabbing at her flesh. The "Cap'n", as she heard the one pirate call him, turned around stiffly, allowing Sakura to drill her pleading eyes into his dark ones, "Please…"

"Release her," He commanded, his men obliging less than a second later. He ambled over to her, taking slow, spaced strides. The slight creaks of the deck were more menacing than the cutlass he had pressed against her neck only moments prior. A shadow cast over Sakura's face as his tall figure halted inches from her cowering form.

"Y-You can't go back to port," Sakura said meekly.

"And why is that?"

"Because," Sakura expounded, straightening her back even though she knew her height could not rival his, "I don't want to go back. I want to stay here."

"A lady like you shouldn't get herself involved with the likes of us," the man chuckled, marveling at her stupidity, "Unless she wants to die."

Sakura gulped, raising her chin, "I-I'm sure I can manage."

The dark haired pirate raised his brows condescendingly. The way he looked down on Sakura, partly due to his unfair height, constituted an air of arrogance. He thought himself so tall. If Sakura hadn't been so frightened at the moment she would have sneered at his bursting-at-the-seams ego.

"Oh?" He challenged, "Well one doesn't just wake up and desire to be a pirate. What's fixes you on something so life changing?"

Sakura swallowed thickly. She didn't want to tell these strangers why she came abroad. They would laugh right in her face, call her a stupid little girl with a petty dream, and turn back to port. Then she would be back at square one, with a raging mother that would without a doubt send her off to some tower in the desert. There was no way she would face that, not after coming so far. Of course, she supposed the Captain did have a right to now, since it _was_ his ship…

"I just do," She muttered, earning a few chortles from the group, "It's been a dream since I was a little girl. To follow in my father's footsteps."

She silently cringed at the lie, though acknowledged that it was better than admitting she wanted to seek out said pirate father and drag him back home. It had its intended affect on the crew, as they became abruptly interested.

"What's your name?" The Captain inquired slowly, suspiciously

"Sakura… Sakura Haruno."

At the mention of her name every pair of eyes widened. Time virtually stopped, a chill breeze freezing every inhabitant on the ship as dozens of gazes darted to the lone figure standing over Sakura. He was as still as a statue, eyes narrowly gazing down at the fragile looking girl, pink hair and bright green eyes. Was everyone holding their breath, or was it just Sakura?

"Cap'n…" Someone said from the crowd, earning his attention, "'Haruno' is the alias of Cap'n Ryoku, is it not?"

Ignoring the inquiry the Captain took a step back, studying Sakura with calculating look for what felt like eternity. Out of all the looks she was getting, Sakura felt most uncomfortable under his scrutiny. She didn't know why. Perhaps it was the dark, emotionless color of his eyes that dug into her with each impending second, or the sheer power of his stare, making every bone tremble with unease. His gaze was omniscient, almost, as if he knew everything yet was deciding to stay silent. Another person cut into the silence whispering, quite loudly, to his neighbor, "That's the leader of the Seventeen Sails, no?"

"Aye, but I 'eard 'e's jus' ol' folk lore," The other responded.

"Nay he definitely exists!"

"But what of 'im havin' a daughter?"

"I never 'eard it 'till now,"

A murmur spread around the ship. Sakura whirled on her heel, curious, "The Seventeen Sails? What's that?" Her voice went unheard, the commotion growing louder as the Captain grew quieter.

"Sasuke!" a blonde boy called out, pushing through the gossipers to reach the Captain. He pulled him aside roughly, causing Sasuke to glower.

"What do you want, idiot?" He grumbled. The stupid kid— also known as his First Mate, Naruto— had interrupted his train of thought. He often did that to him, especially when he was contemplating something really important— like now.

"I've heard of the Captain of the Seventeen Sails docking in town occasionally to check on a daughter," He began, his face serious and sky blue eyes uncertain, "I assumed it was rumor. Sometimes I think pirates are worse gossipers than women. You never know what's truth or rubbish around here. Still, if she's who she says she is…"

Sasuke gritted his teeth, knowing where his friend was going with this. "I don't want her on my ship," He asserted, hoping his decision was final. He knew such a thing would be too good to be true, since Naruto was just as stubborn as him, if not more, when it came to matters like this.

"Sasuke, if we keep her then we have a weapon against the Captain of the Seventeen Sails!" Naruto hissed, glancing back to make sure the girl was not eavesdropping. She was too discombobulated trying to pinpoint the numerous rumors circling around her in the crowd. She looked like a lost child, asking everyone "Who is my father? What's his name? What's he the Captain of?" It didn't surprise Naruto that she didn't know.

"…Aye," Sasuke agreed slowly, still uncomfortable with where this was heading. He already knew Naruto's position on this issue— he wanted to keep the girl, for whatever reasons he may and may not be telling him. That part was evident. Sasuke, on the other hand, wasn't so willing to jump the gun. He was the type of person that liked to take the time to think things over before he took action.

Unfortunately, deciding whether to keep the girl or not couldn't wait.

"Do you know how many pirates would kiss the gunner's daughter to have a weapon like this?"

"The girl won't do us any good if we can't catch the bloody ship. She's too fast," Sasuke grumbled.

"With the girl, we don't need to." Naruto continued, a convincing smile creeping onto his lips. He did have a point; kidnappers never sought help for their hostages, they waited for help to come to them. It was a cliché trap. There was a low chance that taking Sakura as a captive would actually work in that way though, "She could come in handy, and on the off chance that we encounter him, we can make him surrender and finally become the greatest crew!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Naruto was sneaky. He knew that, of the few things Sasuke was sensitive about, one of the biggest was the issue of his "pirate title". It had been a long time goal of Sasuke's to be the top dog of the Sea, and he would do anything to achieve it. He became overly competitive, giving no quarter to ship on many occasions just so he could boost his rank. Sometimes Naruto thought Sasuke was so competitive just for the heck of it. Even so, Sasuke was still driven towards this goal, constantly rising in prominence. The way one rose to fame in the pirate world was mostly through word of mouth. Pirates pillaged and plundered not just to steal treasure, but to induce fear in eyes of the public and make their names known to both the Pirates' Brethren Court and the Navy. Though, inducing fear in civilians was an effortless task, according to Sasuke, since they were so defenseless and easily fooled. _Truly_ accomplished pirates knew how to induce fear in a fellow buccaneer by merely mentioning their name. Once a pirate reached the Top Five— a ranking established by the Brethren Court which took into account deeds like the number of great treasures one's found, notoriety, and the bounty on one's head— there were only two ways to move up. One had to either wipe out the numbers above him, or demand a written and signed surrender of a higher number to send to the Court as proof of their victory. The only people standing in Sasuke's way were that blasted Captain of the Seventeen Sails and his lady friend— an old hag long rumored to have been retired— though she didn't really count since she had disappeared. Never would Sasuke pass up the opportunity to finally be number one. Which made him consider; was Sakura really the key to this dream, then?

Sasuke shook his head. No, of course not. He didn't even know why he was letting Naruto take advantage of his feelings like this.

"We don't know if she's related to him," Sasuke argued, still skeptical of Naruto's plan.

"… I know there's no evidence, but I have a gut feeling she is. If you let her stay I can look into the matter," Naruto bargained, really feeling that this was going to work.

Sasuke thought for a moment, satisfied with the terms. If they didn't find any proof, or if Sakura became too burdensome, they'd just drop her off at the nearest port. Simple solution. Still, he felt a pool of uncertainty drown his insides. There was no telling where this would lead them; they had no concrete answers. Sasuke was left in ignorance, and he was not fond of ignorance; it made him uncomfortable and anxious.

Sighing in defeat, Sasuke gave the slightest nod to his blonde counterpart, earning a wide grin. Both turned to walk back to the crew.

The spiky haired man from before hushed the crowd, turning to Sasuke, "Your verdict, Cap'n?"

Sasuke looked around at the crew, suppressing his reluctance, and frankly just looking irritated. In the back of his head he knew this was a bad idea, "I say she stays."

The announcement caused the crew to look at each other, silently wondering what he planned to do with the girl. Sasuke was not the type to harbor women on board just for fun. In fact, he was strictly and adamantly against such a filthy transgression. They thought that, knowing their Captain, he must have good reasons to keep her. She must have some sort of benefit.

Sakura was appalled to say the least. She looked between the blonde boy and the supposed Captain. They really planned on keeping her? She couldn't believe it. There must be a catch, there always was.

"All in favor of keeping the lass, say 'aye'." The spiky haired pirate announced. Without hesitation a resounding "Aye" bellowed through the air and, just like that, Sakura felt a wave of relieve crash over her. She tried to suppress a grin, glancing around at the crew in thanks. She had made it over the first obstacle!

"But there are conditions to your stay," Sasuke explained in eloquent, non-pirate lingo, causing Sakura's face to fall, "You must sign the Articles, just as the rest of the crew had to. And you shall remain in disguise as a male for the duration of your trip. Crewmen, keep your hands at your sides," Sasuke warned, panning a deadly glare over the men, locking eyes with a few. One reason pirates did not have women on board was because of their irresistible allure and tendency to make men mad with envy. Envy leads to conflict, which was the last thing Sasuke wanted on his peaceful ship— he couldn't remember the last time he had to deal with any sort of brawl between crew members, for that matter. Perhaps if he could minimize Sakura's allure, he could prevent conflict. Sasuke began walking away, passing an old man leaning against a mast, eyes closed, "Jun, you're sentinel."

Said man's eyes snap open, glowering at the retreating backs of Naruto and Sasuke. As the crew began to shuffle around, slowly dispersing, he approached them.

"Boys," Jun said, toothpick in mouth. Both halted, glancing over their shoulders, Naruto's face curious, Sasuke's irritated. Jun never called Sasuke 'Captain', at least not when addressing him directly, and it never ceased to annoy him. "I understand yer reasons behind this edict, trust me, I ain't as clueless as the rest of the crew. But 'ear me warning when I say that a lass attracts many leeches, and men and leeches are no different. Don't get attached to 'er. If she gets too burdensome... just remember the old shanty," Jun said, stating, rather than singing,

"_Leave her, Johnny, ye can leave her like a man,  
><em>_Leave her, Johnny, Leave her.  
><em>_Oh, leave her, Johnny, oh, leave her while yer can.  
><em>_An it's time for us to leave her."_

Sasuke rolled his eyes. The man was always spewing some weird sailors' shanty that never seemed to apply to their situations. Everyone knew that song was about a ship.

* * *

><p>Sakura sat down next to a crate placed in the middle of the deck, the crew around her, staring at the Articles of Agreement— the set of rules every pirate on this vessel must follow:<p>

_I. Every Man Shall obey civil Command; The Captain is to have two full Shares; the Quartermaster is to have one Share and one Half; The Doctor, Mate, Gunner and Boatswain, one Share and one Quarter._

_II. If any Man shall offer to run away, or keep any Secret from the Company, he shall be marooned with one Bottle of Powder, one Bottle of Water, one small Arm, and Shot._

_III. If any Man shall steal any Thing in the Company, or game, to the Value of a Piece of Eight, he shall be marooned or shot._

_IV. If any time we shall meet another Marooner that Man shall sign his Articles without the Consent of our Company, shall suffer such Punishment as the Captain and Company shall think fit._

_V. That Man that shall strike another whilst these Articles are in force, shall receive 40 Stripes lacking one on the bare Back._

_VI. That Man shall not keep his Arms clean, fit for an Engagement, or neglect his Business, shall be cut off from his Share, and suffer such other Punishment as the Captain and the Company shall think fit._

_VII. If any Man shall lose a Joint in time of an Engagement, shall have 400 Pieces of Eight; if a Limb, 800._

_VIII. If at any time you meet with a prudent Woman, that Man that offers to meddle with her, without her Consent, shall suffer present Death._

_IX. If any man were to be found seducing any of the latter sex, and carried her to sea, disguised, he was to suffer death; (so that when any fell into their hands, as it chanced, they put a sentinel immediately over her to prevent ill consequences from so dangerous an instrument of division and quarrel; but then here lies the roguery; they contend who shall be sentinel, which happens generally to one of the greatest bullies, who, to secure the lady's virtue, will let none lie with her but himself.) The presence and duration of a Woman shall be voted by the Captain and the Company._

Sakura read the points over several times, biting the bottom half of her lip. By signing her name, under the dozen already present at the base of the long parchment, she was willingly declaring herself a pirate. A criminal. She didn't like the thought of that. Calling herself a pirate just seemed… absurd. Unnatural. She took the quill beside the Articles in her hand, glancing up anxiously at the observing mass of pirates, all of who were required to be present as witnesses. Jade eyes shot back down to an empty space awaiting her signature, the blankness practically screaming at her.

If becoming a pirate meant finding her father, then so be it.

Her grip tightened on the quill as she slowly scribbled in: _Sakura Haruno._

The spiky haired man, who sat across from Sakura, watched her suspiciously. He wondered why in the world the Captain would keep such a girl. He knew the Captain wasn't a ladies' man, nor, no matter how vulgar Naruto could be, was his First Mate. They must be planning something. He could only gather that it dealt with the Captain of the Seventeen Sails. Knowing Sasuke, he was probably devising some plan to use her against him. The girl looked up at him shakily, placing the quill down next to the Articles.

"Your sentinel is Bo'sun Jun. You'll be sleeping next to him in the quarters and following his commands. I'm the Quartermaster, Shikamaru. If you refuse to cooperate or break any of the points in the Articles, you'll be answering to me," He recited lazily, his conviction hard to believe. Everything he had said seemed rehearsed. Sakura shook it off as he grabbed the Articles and left the area. The rest of the pirates began to disperse once more— not really having paid attention to the singing in the first place— leaving Sakura all alone.

"'Ello Love."

Sakura jumped, promptly spinning her head around only to be met with a big white smile. Before her stood a young man, probably a few years older than she. He had unkempt black hair, shaggy to his chin and kept somewhat controlled by a black bandana fastened over his head, pulling the hair from his forehead. His ears were pierced all along the lobes, and he had a black feather beaded into his dark locks, partially visibly on the side of his head despite the bandana.

"Oh! How d'you do?" Sakura greeted, regaining her composure.

He chuckled, "You're on a pirate ship, Love. We don't speak that language."

Sakura frowned, the boy inspiriting, "Instead you say: Ahoy, matie! You try it."

"Ahoy, matie," Sakura said, feeling a bit foolish.

"There you go, Love," He chimed, offering a hand. She let him take her hand and kiss it. Sakura couldn't stop the blush that crept to her cheeks.

"My names Crow. I am stationed in the crow's nest." He continued cheerfully, pointing up the main mast to a basket at the top. Sakura recalled reading about the Crow's nest; it was a section of the ship build at the highest point in order to gain maximum view of the sea. It provided a 360 degree view so that they crew knew when they were close to land or approaching another vessel. Sakura wanted to chuckle at the irony of him being positioned there.

"A fitting name," She grinned, introducing herself, "Sakura."

"Like the flower," He said, flashing another huge white smile. Sakura giggled, unable to suppress it any longer, and his eyes lit up, "You have a beautiful melody, my dear." He brought her hand up for another kiss, but before his lips could caress her alabaster skin—

WACK!

—he was smacked in the back of the head with a wooden stick.

"AHHHHH, Old Salt!" Crow cried, flinching back and clutching the back of his head with both arms. He gyrate around to spot an old man smirking, infamous toothpick almost falling from his lips, mop in hand. "I was doing no harm! Merely introducing myself!"

"Ye 'eard the Cap'n: hands at yer sides, ye lice infested bucko! Step to!" Jun grumbled, tooth pick twirling. Crow glowered, still caressing the already forming bump.

"Watch out, Love, you've been placed under the command of the scourge of the seven seas; the devil himself." Crow winked, pointing to the old man. Before he could get smacked a second time he scurried off.

"This is why women aboard are dirty luck." Jun mumbled to himself crossly. He turned to Sakura, " 'right cabin boy, me name's Jun. I'm yer sentinel. Now I'm only goin' ta go through this once, so perk yer ears and follow me."

As Sakura followed she realized she could only describe Jun in one word: grumpy. He seemed like the archetypal old man that loathed all people younger than himself. The type of man that yelled at children for running around the downtown market, and the kind that scolded said kids' parents for not keeping a watchful eye on their malicious offspring, cursing the new generation for not being as pure as his had been back in the day. Yes, that was exactly what he was, or so it seemed. Even his face seemed to be permanently contorted into a scowl, the grey, dry looking stubble along his jutting jaw causing the toothpick in his mouth to perk up.

He took her around the ship (grumpily), and taught her all of the basics of being a sailor: how to rig, swab, line, and use holystone to sand the decks. Sakura had trouble keeping up with his pace, as he was clearly rushing out of annoyance for this new babysitting "duty", appointed by the Captain himself. He'd much rather spend time doing something useful.

"Now bucko, yer take yer orders from me and four other crewmen; the Cook, the Quartermaster, the First mate, and the Cap'n. Goddit?" Jun said, handing her a bandana and a hat, "Use this to cover yer hair, as the Captain ordered. But once ye get yer own, don' forget to bring mine back. That scallywag from b'fore will get ye some wee duds." Sakura, although her pirate lingo was shaky, roughly translated that to: 'That idiot from before will give you some tiny clothes.' She supposed he was referring to Crow. Jun saluted, a gesture which seemed odd to her, though was probably common among Sailors.

"I'll be keepin' a weathered eye out, Cabin Boy." He warned, leaving to do his work. _Cabin boy?_ Sakura repeated dryly. Wasn't that the lowest rank in the Navy, a mere boy? She was already becoming irritated with the nickname. She gazed around, exhaling when she saw no one coming to bother her. Peace at last, she thought tiredly. Being a pirate was so exhausting.

"Frederick!"

If only she could find a place to sit down and rest…

"Frederick!"

But nothing was in sight. Even the crate from before had been removed. And there was no way she'd sit on the deck. It was so plain, and hard, and… covered in filth…

"FREDERICK!"

Sakura spun her head around, irritated that this Frederick, whoever he was, was not answering to his name. She spotted the blonde boy who had been with the Captain earlier that day standing by the railing of the ship. He motioned her over. Sakura raised a brow, ambling in his direction. The boy, although the same age as Sakura, looked physically beyond his years, albeit not by much. He was tall and lean, an angled jaw aging his face and making it seem longer. His complexion was only slightly darker than Sakura's, complimenting his golden hair. He wore the similar garb to the captain, save for an orange bandana tied across his forehead.

"You're not talking to me, are you?" Sakura questioned, thumbing to herself. When he nodded her shoulders and face fell, "I have a name, you know."

"'Course you do Frederick!" He responded with a smile, patting Sakura on the arm in acknowledgement, further deepening her to scowl.

"How ya been? Not getting too sea sick, are ya?" He asked, a bit too friendly for Sakura's liking. She analyzed his cheeky grin, sensing an ulterior motive.

"Fine, and no," She deadpanned.

"Wonderful! So… I was just thinking," There it was, "When's the last time you've seen your father?"

Green eyes enlarged, only to narrow back to slits.

"Why does that matter?"

"I was just wondering, you know, in case, perhaps, I could help you figure out who he is. I may have seen him before," He offered nonchalantly, gazing at the sky with matching eyes. He peered down at her briefly, catching the consideration in her spaced out eyes and smirking. Good, she was willing to go along with his interrogation.

"… Never."

"Never?" The boy repeated, incredulous. Wow… He had suspected that she didn't know her father's true identity, but not that she had never seen him before. Where the rumors about the Captain visiting a daughter just rumors, then? It couldn't be, he thought, he had heard them from a fairly reliable source. He scanned the pink haired girl's face, noticing the way she periodically glanced away from his pegging eyes. She was hiding something. He questioned further, "Have you ever talked to him?"

"…No."

"What do you know about him?"

"I know that he's a pirate. And according to you all, he's the captain of some whatever-you-call-it ship." She grumbled. She was frustrated with herself for not knowing such simple answers. Any _normal_ child could answer any question regarding their parents. But not Sakura. The boy brought his eyebrows together and stared off into the distance, contemplating possible pirates. No one came to mind. He needed some sort of identifying factor, or else this whole interrogation would be utterly futile. Suddenly Sakura felt a lock of her long pink hair lifted gently by his palm, blue eyes boring into it, almost as if absorbing the detail and placement of every fiber, in and out. No Captain had pink hair.

"Better hide this, Frederick, before the bastard sees," the boy said backing away in slight disappointment. He had gotten nowhere. In fact, he felt as if he had just gone back a step, puzzle pieces removed from the picture instead of being added.

Sakura tilted her head the name. Bastard? Who? There was no way he could be referring to the Captain with such audacity. He began leaving, turning to her swiftly, "Oh, and my name's Naruto." He said, giving a crooked grin. Sakura bit her lip as he sauntered away. Her hands shot up to the necklace around her neck, a small chain with a ring on it. She fingered the band of gold, tracing the rectangular insignia on the top of it. She had forgotten that she put it on prior to sneaking on board. It was her father's ring. Not a wedding band, but a ring he had left her mother. Like all things her mother wanted to forget, she found it hidden away in the cellar while perusing through some old documents. It was the only thing she had found with any connection to her father whatsoever. Although it may not have meant much to him since he left it, she hoped that having a piece of him with her would somehow increase the chances of finding him, as if the golden band would point her in the right direction.

Apparently this was the right direction.

Or rather, the _only_ direction, Sakura thought bitterly.

* * *

><p>Night had fallen and Sakura found herself sitting in a circle of people on deck, several lanterns scattered around the area, casting flickering shadows on the untouched supper in her lap. She looked down at her first pirate meal, callaloo— salt cod and greens— feeling too seasick to try any. She reached up to her head and scratched on top of the red bandana binding her hair, absently wishing she didn't have to wear the damned thing. Among the group of people was a band strumming a tune foreign to Sakura's ears, the crew singing (and shouting) merrily to the beat.<p>

This was how the pirates' life was, she thought to herself, scanning the crowd of joyful and drunken faces. Or so it seemed to be, at least behind the scenes. Underneath all of the hard work and strife there were drunken parties, laughs, and celebrations. And although it wasn't as bad as she originally thought, Sakura couldn't help but question whether or not living this life was the right thing to do. Following her signing of the Articles, doubt had plagued her mind nearly the entire day, causing her to weighing the pros and cons, the causes and effects, and yet never quite coming to a rock solid conclusion. Her feelings were a mix between fear and determination. Fear for what was to come from this decision and determination for the outcome of enduring it. She could bear the terrible food, the sea sickness, the grueling work, and the fact that no one liked her, as long she made it to her father. In the long run that was all that mattered to her.

She tried to convince herself that she lucked out on this ship— most pirates would have done one of two extremes if they found a stowaway woman on board; throw her overboard, or keep her for personal use. These men around her seemed to lie somewhere in the middle and she was grateful for that. Not to mention they were quite civilized compared to most pirates. Not entirely proper, but civil nonetheless. A good number of them had proper speech; the First Mate, Naruto; the Quartermaster, Shikamaru; and the Captain, Sasuke, just to name a few.

Sakura scanned around the circle of pirates once more, this time looking for the Captain. She found it curious that the last time she saw him was that morning, after he had held a cutlass to her throat. Perhaps he was busy doing… whatever Captains do— Sakura didn't even know if he _did_ anything besides stand there like a lighthouse shining his ego upon everyone. She hadn't quite memorized what he looked like, and, aside from the brooding arrogance she remember from her first encounter with him, it wasn't like she could tell he was the Captain, as he didn't wear the Captain's tricorn hat. It frustrated Sakura to no end. Practically _all_ Captains wore their Captain hats, the books said so. Why was he any exception to this general custom? She remembered asking her new friend Crow about it earlier that day.

"_Every crewman is equal on this ship," _He had explained,_ "We all recognize that the Captain's our only leader and possesses ultimate strength, so there's no need for it for him to physically tag himself as greater. Plus, I don't think he likes wearing it. Seems awfully bothersome."_

She remembered asking Crow how everyone was equal if the Captain was the only one with the power, to which he responded, _"It's true that the Captain has the power, but that is because he is the leader. Ever group needs a leader, and although he may have more power than most, he respects the Company and believes that, in any case, the Company's verdict is greater than his own. He treats one of us no differently than another. Not even his Mate. It's always been like that, and we like to think we've been fortunate because of it."_

Sakura had thought that was probably one of the most hypocritical and smug things anyone could reason. Sasuke was the one mountain in a flat plot of land. That's was not, under Sakura's definition, equality. And he was above wearing the Captain's hat? Most Captains wouldn't be seen without such an identifying factor, defensive of them to gun point. That was like a King claiming to be too great to wear a crown. Sakura was beginning to get the feeling that Captain Sasuke was a tyrant. Or a slave owner. One of the two. The only thing she remembered about the Captain physically was his menacing voice, rock hard stare, and pale skin, which only added to this new tryannical image. And that didn't narrow down her search much. She looked around again, spotting a few that fit the picture, but were ruled out for either being too happy, too old, or Crow.

The song ended, the last notes ringing in the cold sea breeze. Leaving no pause for silence, the musicians immediately played the tune the _Sheffield's Apprentice_, a favorite shanty of Jun's. His grumpy face seeming content for once as he recited the lyrics poetically.

"_I was brought up in Sheffield,  
><em>_But not of high degree;  
><em>_My parents doted on me,  
><em>_They had no child but me;  
><em>_I roamed about for pleasure,  
><em>_Where'er my fancy led,  
><em>_Till I was bound apprentice,  
><em>_Then all my joys were fled._

_I did not like my master,  
><em>_He did not use me well,  
><em>_I made a resolution  
><em>_Not long with him to dwell.  
><em>_A wealthy rich young lady  
><em>_From Suna met me there,  
><em>_And offered me great wages  
><em>_To serve her for a year…"_

Naruto was standing behind the group, back leaned against the main mast, his form practically invisible in the shadows. He listened to the tale with closed eyelids, surprised he had never heard it before, considering Jun loved to tell shanties any chance he got. When his brain had processed the lyrics his lips turned down, being slightly reminded of his own past. Memories of him as a child flooded through his head; images of intimidating sailors three times his age; of blue flags; of a shy dark hard girl hiding behind her father, the governor; of his first musket; of his first kill. Naruto shook his head quickly as Jun continued with the song, though he tuned it out, eyes darting over the crowd, searching for the Captain. He had yet to see him all day. He had probably been locked up in his quarters, trying to figure out where their next coordinates would be. When Naruto spotted the Captain's silhouette on the upper deck he quietly snuck his way over. He was by himself. Typical. Sasuke had always been so antisocial, it was sort of strange.

"She knows nothing," Naruto informed, walking up the stairs, "There's no evidence that Cap'n Ryoku's blood flows through her veins aside from her surname— which consequentially is his alias. And she has bloody pink hair! I'll be damn if she got it from her father. Though I suppose we wouldn't know since we've never seen him."

Sasuke let the new data marinate, staring out at the moon's reflection in the water. If the girl knew nothing about her father and couldn't help them directly, then that meant they needed to figure out the truth some other way. He just didn't know how, exactly. He had been hoping that by talking with her Naruto would get some sort of base going, but because he hadn't, they would be going nowhere even if they tried to figure it out. Sasuke sighed, exhausted. A very dominant half of him wanted to call it quits now and drop the girl off at some port, sparing him the wasted effort. He already had too much on his plate with trying to find the next great treasure, and adding another mystery to it did not sound appealing. The second half told him to keep pushing forward. He didn't know why. Perhaps it was for Naruto's sake, or just because he had a sliver of hope that she would actually come in handy.

"She didn't mention a family heirloom? Any portraits? Letters? Nothing?" Sasuke asked.

"I didn't ask," Naruto replied, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Sasuke peered over his shoulder Sakura, her face lit by the lanterns and her hand around her necklace. His eyebrows came to together.

"What's that around her neck?" He questioned, his metallic eyes still locked on her clenched fist. Judging by the way she held it close to her chest, whatever was inside of it must be important.

"Uh? Oh, I didn't even see that. Sharp eyes, bastard! I don't know how you can see so well! Remember that one time you, Ino and I were on that ship and you saw that brand mark on the Captain's forearm that indicated he was a former Royal? Not even his crew knew that. And then that one time you saw that poisonous dragonfly in my chowder? I could have died had it not been—HEY! Are you even listening to me? I can't reminisce alone!" Naruto pouted, crossing his arms. He hated when Sasuke got caught up in his thoughts— and much to his dismay that was quite often. Whenever they were out in public it would happen as well. Naruto knew he had a way of… 'getting off topic', but it wouldn't kill the guy to act like he was listening. It made Naruto look like an idiot talking to a wall.

"I'm going to find out what it is."

* * *

><p>"How are you, Love?" Crow asked, taking a seat next to Sakura.<p>

"Wonderful," the pink haired girl grumbled, a hint of sarcasm.

"Aw, deary, you'll adjust," He frowned, patting her back, "What's on your mind?"

Sakura's expression became conflicted as she looked into his brown eyes. There had been only one thing on her mind, and she wasn't sure whether or not she could tell Crow— or anyone for that matter. It was her father. Her ultimate goal was to find him, but the first step in that process was to find out who he was. So far she hadn't even taken that baby step.

"I just want to find my father so badly." Sakura admitted. She hadn't told anyone her goal yet, though she thought she might as well tell one person. It was true, she would do anything to find him. She became a bloody pirate, even. Though her limit was not there. She had often considered how far she'd have to go in order to find him, knowing that she would take on anything in order to do so.

"Why do you want to find him?" Crow asked, tilting his head inquisitively.

"Because…," Sakura began quietly, feeling uncomfortable elaborating on such a personal subject, "He left my mother and I to be a pirate. If I find him I can bring him home…" And we can live like normal people, she added. She wondered why he chose this wretched dirty life, over a normal one. She hoped she'd last living like this until she found him. Crow's expression hardened, unbeknownst to Sakura.

Such a naive desire, he thought sadly, knowing that life didn't just work the way you wanted it to. Especially if you take into consideration how the Law views those involved in piracy, and how such criminals are punished. That dream of hers was nearly unachievable. However he would never tell Sakura that. Instead, he said, "A noble goal, from a noble lady."

"What did you say my father was the Captain of?" Sakura questioned suddenly, taking Crow off guard.

"Ummm. The Seventeen Sails. The Greatest Cap'n alive," He answered after a minute, watching her carefully.

"How should I find this 'Seventeen Sails'?" Sakura said, her eyes hardening like emeralds as she stared into Crow, true grit marking her face.

"Aw Love, even I find that to be a difficult query to answer," Sakura frowned at this, though he continued on, catching the saddened look on her face, "That ship is the quickest to ever sail the seven seas. I haven't met a bucko that's caught it. However, I can tell you the most _probable_ way of catching it."

Sakura perked up, "How's that?"

"X-marks-the-spot."

She blinked, "Come again?"

"The only way catch 'em is if they stop, right?" Crow started, holding up finger. Sakura stared at it, bewildered. Where was he going with this?

"Well how do we know where they are going to stop?" She said impatiently

"X-marks-the-spot," He repeated, grinning crookedly at the scowl on her face. Seeing that fiery spark inside of her gave him a bit of enjoyment. He began to elaborate, "There's a treasure that _all_ pirates from one sea to the next are hunting. It's the_ Million Pieces of Eight_. Probably one of the greatest treasures still untouched, seeing that is was buried by the most legendary pirate of all time; the Yellow Flash."

"So, if all pirates are looking for it, my father is looking for it too?" Sakura reasoned.

"I have no doubts."

"And so he will be there?"

Crow nodded, smiling. Sakura felt a burst of elation fill her, only to quickly be deflated at her next thought.

"…Are we going there too?"

"Of course! We're pirates! No prey no pay! Finding treasure is the only way we get gold and live. It's our Cap'n's greatest goal to get us to the _Million Pieces of Eight_ before some other scallywag gets there." He glanced over to the Captain who was talking to his First Mate on the upper deck, a small, proud grin spreading his lips. Although it didn't look like it upfront, the Captain was a very hardworking man. Of the many things Sasuke did well as Captain, treasure finding was one of the top three. He was exceptionally well at discovering treasure locations in short amounts of time, his sharp eyes deciphering codes and map pieces with ease. He almost never disappointed his crew with a find. Because of this reputation he often got stowaways who were hoping to join the crew and cash in. Sasuke never let them of course, not wanting to split the hard earned gold. Never had they received a _female_ stowaway though, Crow noted, brown eyes piercing Sakura's green curiously.

"Well how do you find it, are we sailing there right now?" She asked intently, taking in every drop of information he provided for her.

"Nay, deary. It ain't so easy to hunt for treasure as great as that," He explained, "There's only one way to find the location of it, and that's through Keys."

"Keys?" Sakura imagined little metal trinkets inserted in locks. At the mention of the word the crew's ears turned, and suddenly everyone was listening, albeit in secret.

"Not iron keys, miss," Jun said, taking interest in the conversation, his toothpick jumping, "Parchment keys."

Sakura was mystified. Parchment keys? Now she was envisioning a flimsy parchment cut out in the shape of an iron key. It did not seem effective in unlocking doors nor treasure finding.

"These Keys are pieces of a map," Crow continued, watching Sakura's countenance to make sure she was following, "Parchment pieces. Four pieces make up a map. And one map is needed to find the treasure."

"Four doesn't sound like a lot," She noted, understanding dawning her. It didn't seem that hard. It was like a puzzle. And lucky for them, Sakura was _phenomenal_ at puzzles.

"Aye, but they are hell to find and hell to keep. When you got 'em you gotta make sure no one else knows. Unless, you're of course, the Captain of the Seventeen Sails, in which case you are probably too fast to give a rat's ass. I heard he's got two. There are many copies about, but also many fakes," Crow countered.

"How many do _we_ have?" She was curious to see how great of a captain Sasuke was rumored to be. Considering his level of arrogance and the way his crew thought of him, he ought to have more than just two. In fact, with his ego you'd think he had all four and was heading for the treasure as they spoke.

"Two 's well."

Sakura bunched her lips to the side, faintly disappointed that it wasn't a lower number, just in spite of his haughtiness. Perhaps Sasuke was as accomplished as everyone said he was. If he rivaled the supposed greatest Captain alive— the Captain of the Seventeen Sails— then he must have some substance that she failed to see. Although she was mildly curious, she wouldn't go out of her way looking for it. She had bigger and better things to worry about; like her father.

"May I see one?" She inquired, thinking that if she saw one she could go searching for the next. The quicker they got to the treasure the quicker she got to see her father. It was a win-win situation.

"They are in the Captain's possession, Love, and considerin' you're who you are, you won't be seein' one anytime soon," Crow chuckled.

Sakura glared, "Why's that?"

"Yer at the bottom o' the sea, cabin boy. Ye got to be awfully close to the Cap'n to e'en ask such a thin'," Jun chimed in. Sakura looked around at the two men, crossing her arms with a huff.

"Why does he get to keep them anyways? That's not fair to the crew." Sakura pointed out, thinking back to Crow's words on the Captain's equality. Was he really that much of a tyrant? If she said that aloud she knew the crew would defend him. To them he was a "good" tyrant. Sakura struggled to connect the two words. Given all of the secondhand information she was getting about this mysterious Captain, she was having a difficult time making out what kind of leader he really was. One instance he's a horrifyingly bigheaded, power-hungry oppressor, the next he's a horrifyingly skilled, still bigheaded and power-hungry, leader that is somehow cherished by his crew despite his obvious iron fist. It made absolutely no sense to Sakura.

"Well whoe'er finds 'em gets to keep 'em, an' he's found both," Jun explained, taking a sip of rum from a tinted bottle.

"I'm going to find the next one," Sakura declared to the group, her chin as high as it could be. She wanted to get to her father in as little time as possible. A tiny part of her also wanted to rain on Sasuke's parade. Someone needed to blow up that mountain, and if she of all people found the next Key it would surely detonate that massive ego.

As if on cue, all of the men burst into laughter, causing an angry crease to form between Sakura's brows. Their complete lack of confidence and disbelief in her would only make her victory that much sweeter. They could believe whatever they wanted, because she'd prove them wrong. Still, it irritated her to no end. Just because she was a woman did not mean she was an incapable, feeble pirate. She pouted, cheeks flushing, "I will! You'll see!"

"Sure ye will, landlubber." Jun giggled, "When I sprout gills and swim."

They all cackled once more, resuming their joyous singing moments later as Sakura curled into herself, trying to seem as small and insignificant as possible. _Tch_, she thought, resting her chin on her knees, _I'll show them_. They didn't know how driven a certain Sakura Haruno could be. She was not some little girl who needed to be taken care of. No, she was a grown woman, capable of making thought out decisions and defending herself. She was going to find the next Key, and then the following one, and then she was going to find her—

Sakura's inward vent came to a halt when she felt a warm whisper against her ear, sending a shiver down her right side.

"The Captain requests your presence on the upper deck," Naruto uttered, his figure disappearing as suddenly as it had appeared.

Sakura's throat became dry as she swallowed the forming lump. Her knees felt weak and she had yet to stand— frankly she didn't want to. She would stay in her curled up little ball for all of eternity if it meant avoiding the cold, rock hard eyes of the Captain. No matter how badly Sakura criticized the Captain, there was one thing she could not deny, and it was the fact that he scared her. His mere presence could elicit fear in a bunny if he came close enough. The reason for this could be a number of things, from the high horse he constantly rode, to the aura around him; a menacing, intimidating cloud that seemed to suffocate all who came within radius— aside from Naruto of course. He'd probably developed immunity.

Mustering all of the strength and fortitude within her, Sakura rose, making her way to the upper deck. She told herself that there was no reason to be scared; he was just man after all, and when have men scared her? She couldn't think of an instance where she ever felt intimidated by one. The fact that he was a pirate meant nothing in this instance. To her, he would be just a man, no, a boy. Besides, if she planned on knocking him down a few steps then she would need to face him sooner or later.

As she walked up the steep staircase to meet her fate she felt her tenacity begin to dissolve. The warm, jocular lanterns were now behind her, leaving a foreboding abyss of darkness before her. At the top of the stairs was an even scarier thing than darkness, as far as Sakura was concerned. Her hands began to tremble as they slid up the railing. When the floor of the upper deck came into view she felt herself relieved to see at least _some_ light— a lone lantern on the railing. It was what was next to the lantern that caused a knot to form in Sakura's stomach.

She wondered if someone's shadow could be scarier than the actually person.

"You requested me, Captain?" She said confidently, walking toward him. He turned around, scanning her body up and down. Although she was garbed in the smallest clothes anyone had on board they still hung loosely on her petite body. Atop her head, covering her piled up hair was a bandana. The point of it, of course, was the make her look less feminine and attractive to the crew, but she still looked like a woman to Sasuke. He thought it was perhaps due to the shape of her face, or maybe her delicate, girlish features. Even if rolled in mud she still wouldn't look like a grungy cabin boy. Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes.

Sakura had stopped no less than six feet away, fidgeting with the long sleeve of her oversized shirt as she awaited an answer. His face was barely lit by the dim lantern, but from what she could discern it seemed as if he was debating something. As if he didn't exactly remember why he called her there. The time pending Sasuke's answer gave Sakura the opportunity to finally study and memorize her new Captain. He had shaggy hair so dark it blended in with the sky behind him, with matching eyes that seemed devoid of emotion. His pale skin glowed in the warm lighting, making it look soft and clear, though atop his high cheekbones and across his straight nose a hint of a sweat had built up from the humid air. He was striking, which confused Sakura. Studying him, she realized his reputation did not match his façade. His reputation portrayed a ruthless, grungy pirate while he contrarily looked like a handsome young gentlemen fit for gentry. Sakura was about to open her mouth to say someone, when all the light was abruptly blocked from her eyes. Sakura could smell him before she realized he was standing right in front of her. It was a unique combination of cotton and salt. Her mouth fell agape as he bent down to her level. "Uh, Captain—" Sakura stuttered, but her thoughts were cut short when he reached for her neck, grabbing the ring and studying it in his hand.

"That's—" She attempted to explain. Were pirates allowed to bring gold on board? She had read somewhere that all personal gold would be confiscated and distributed to the crew evenly to avoid quarrel. But this wasn't just gold to her, it was important, it was— Sakura gasped when the chain snapped at the nape of her neck, the sides hanging in Sasuke's tight grip.

"What are you—? That's mine!" She yelled as he held the ring away from her, "You have no right to do that! Give it back!"

When Sasuke turned his back to her and made his way to the stairs, Sakura forgot all about her weak knees and trembling fingers. Sasuke's aura was no longer miasmatic to Sakura's breath. It was a combustible gas that only added to the fire raging inside of Sakura.

"Stop! That belonged to my father!" She called, stomping after him. How dare he take such thing? Did he really think he was above common courtesy and didn't even need to ask first? Not that she would say yes, but still. Where were his manners?

Sasuke tensed a bit, undetectable to Sakura's livid eye, trudging forward nonetheless. When Sakura reached his retreating figure at the top of his stairs she grabbed his arm, finding to her dismay that the limb did not budge. It merely froze in place, along with the rest of his body. Upon looking up she was met with a glare more deadly than her own.

"Before you pick a fight with the Captain of this vessel, let me remind you that he has the power to throw you off of it as well." He growled, "Step down."

Releasing her grip, the fire within Sakura quickly died, being replaced with a heavy weight. Her eyes watered as the Captain walked down the stairs and into his quarters. As she went back to the crew and took a seat next to Crow she wondered if any one of them had seen the brawl. Surely her anger had been loud enough to catch their attention. If they had, none were acknowledging it. Though, once Crow looked at her with sad eyes, she knew it everyone had seen.

"Love," He assuaged, understanding in his voice as he patted her shoulder, "He ain't as bad as he seems."

Sakura begged to differ.

* * *

><p>Sasuke's fingers were tented in front of his face as he gazed down at the wax seal, eyes buried in concentration. The candle on his desk was the only source of light in his quarters, providing an adequate amount of radiance for his work yet making the room seem tiny, a sphere of brightness isolating him from the darkness around. The fresh wax seal pressed on a spare piece of parchment was the wax seal he had produced with Sakura's ring. As he suspected, the insignia he had seen Sakura fingering was a pirate insignia; a skull with an eye patch and two cutlasses crossed underneath. Almost all notable Captains had a ring with their own individual pirate insignia— Sasuke included. They used it to send authorized letters to the Pirates' Brethren Court. Although each emblem matched the flag of a Captain's ship, the wax press could not be forged. They were rings issued by the Court themselves. Sasuke wondered how Sakura's father could be so careless as to leave such an important item. If it got in the wrong hands, bad things could happen. He tried to think of all the flags he'd seen in his lifetime, many odd combinations coming to mind, but he hadn't seen this particular one yet.<p>

It could be the insignia of the Seventeen Sails…

But he couldn't jump to conclusions, given the fact that no one including himself has seen that ship and lived to tell about it.

Though if it _were_ indeed the insignia of the Seventeen Sails, then without a doubt, Her Captain and this new girl were related. If that were the case, then perhaps Naruto was right when he said they could use Sakura as a weapon. Though Sasuke wasn't so naive to think such a thing would work against the greatest Captain of the Seas. He must've left his home for a reason, and probably didn't care much for his family. Not to mention a man with such status and power would not endanger his own crew by surrendering to a hostage. It was foolhardy. He's kept this title for God knows how long, and he clearly wouldn't give it up for a petty daughter who he hadn't seen in however-many-years. Sasuke couldn't see many benefits in keeping the girl, especially with those odds. Naruto must have some idea he was not telling him about…

Sasuke sighed for the umpteenth time. Somewhere within him was a tiny bit of hope that this plan of his would work, perhaps sway the Captain. Of course the plan that he hoped for was slightly different than Naruto's. Sasuke didn't want to offer Sakura as a hostage in order to get the Seventeen Sails to surrender. Nor did he want to use the Captain's ring to forge some surrender letter to the Court— which would be entirely easy given he had it in his hands right then. No, Sasuke was not a cheat even if he was a pirate. If there was something he hated more than cowardly pirates it was false glory. There was no sense of triumph in it. A victory is not a victory if it is won unfairly. That being said, he simply wanted a way to get the Captain to stop. If the Captain were to stop, then Sasuke would have his chance at defeating him, fair and square. Then, like a happy ending, he would become the greatest Captain of the Seas. Life didn't always work that way, he realized, especially given the miniscule chances of his plan working, but he still held onto a tiny bit of hope. That hope probably came from Naruto's optimism.

Still, he really didn't know how he felt about having the girl abroad.

For now he'd see how she faired, and like Jun said, if she became too troublesome, she was gone. Sasuke stood, grabbing the ring and heading down to the crews quarters. His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, a skill acquire from years of piracy. He walked around until he came across the only non-snoring figure in the room. Sakura was curled up in a ball, almost completely engulfed by the sides of the hammock, right behind Jun's. Her red bandana hung loosely in her hand, pink hair slightly falling over the side of the makeshift bed. Sasuke dropped the ring and chain on her side as he eyed her long locks.

Who in the world had pink hair?

He took a minute to study her before turning on his heel and heading back. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of eyes a few hammocks over slid open, staring calculatingly at the Captain's back.

* * *

><p>AN:

Oh mah gawd you guys I am so sorry this has taken me so long!

I have one excuse: SCHOOL. Literally I just went through and finished the toughest school year of my entire life… I promise I'll update this story more, especially because it's summer.

GOOD NEWS!: YES, AS I SAID, SUMMER IS HERE! What does that mean? UPDATES! WOOP WOOP! I also have finished the complete outline for this story, and practically wrote the entire thing… really sloppily. Its 39 pages of basically one big paragraph haha. Nevertheless, because I kinda-sorta already wrote it, writing chapters will be quicker… Eh, in a way…

BAD NEWS…: Sadly, putting these chapters together takes a lot of time regardless of whether I have my plot written out to the detail— I would have said that in "GOOD NEWS", since I sort of gave you guys false hope, but bad news does not belong in the Good News section! I know, I'm such a fail. It wouldn't take so long if I didn't have to make sure my pirate info is correct, or that I don't slip from Eighteenth-Nineteenth Century speech to Twenty First Century slang (I will admit though, I did get lazy with in this chapter. Especially with Naruto. I mean, seriously, how can you make Naruto sound like… well, Naruto, if you're not modern once in a while.) Anyways, it was honestly probably just this chapter that took so long because of all the information and whatnot. I'm extremely disappointed that I couldn't end this off on a good cliffhanger. All of my other chapters do… but not this one. So bear with me!

Also bad news… Okay, so I said summer is here and that means more updates… well… Unfortunately I won't be able to update for five whole weeks! I'm cowering as I type this. I have a legitimate reason though. I'm going to New Zealand with this program (I literally can't wait. ONE MORE DAY.) and I won't really have time to write.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be expecting another update this summer! As soon as I come back I'll get right to it!

Anyways, in this chapter, you may have noticed Jun's obsession with shanties. The shanties that I put in this story are real sailor shanties from way back when. If you want to go check them out you can. They're actually quite good! If you do, let me know your favorite(s)! Mine is the _Fish of the Sea_. Also, the Articles are from Wikipedia. They are real too (or as real as Wikipedia information can get).

Here's the link! JK FF won't let me put it :( Just search sailor shanties on Google, or _Fish of the Sea_ shanty and the website should be called contemplator

I know I am completely late, but did you guys see the manga cover to the new Naruto Shippuuden Movie, Road to Ninja? That's a stupid question, what SasuSaku shipper has not seen it? Well, because of school and me being socially isolated from the world, I only found out two weeks ago on tumblr. I. FLIPPED. I'm not getting too excited because 1) I hate getting high hopes crushed, 2) Since Kishimoto is writing it, he may mess up and end up shoving his foot up the asses of all SasuSaku believers (not that he's that cruel, right?), and 3) the movie probably won't get subbed until next April, which is a long freaking time. Either way I hope it's good. I will not lie when I say I want SasuSaku action, you know 'cause it's AU and all, but as long as it's a good movie I'll be happy.

Also, am I the only one that disapproves of AU Sasuke's garb? I feel like Kishimoto made him look very… I dunno… Weird. He's still cute though ;)

Here's the link for those that have not seen it:

Type in the website saiyanisland (the standard triple 'w' and a period and come without the e. haha I'm trying to get this to work on FF) and add this ending /2012/06/road-to-ninja-naruto-the-movie-scan-drawings-and-posters/

I doubt FF will let me put these links up. But whatever.

Lastly, I can't believe the first chapter of this got 10 reviews! That's a record for me! Maybe another ten this time? It would totally make my life if I came back and I had that many, or MORE! Ermahgerd I think I'd faint!

So please do me a solid and review! I LOVE YOU GUYS! And happy reading!

-Miasmic

P.S: sorry for mistakes (grammar, spelling, ect). I wanted to get this out before I leave.


	3. Pirate Tongue 101

**Standard Disclaimer Applies**

* * *

><p>| [A Million Pieces of Eight] |<p>

Chapter III: Pirate Tongue

By Miasmic

"You look lovely today, Love."

Sakura grinned at Crow, cheeks rosy with glee. She really did look lovely. It was her mood, he presumed; it changed her appearance- the glow of her ivory skin and the brightness of her green eyes illuminated her face, contrasting with the sickly pallor she had the day they met. Crow even noted a pep in her step— something he rarely saw on a pirate ship full of old, dirty men— and was pleased to see Sakura in such high spirits. The previous night he remembered falling asleep to the dead silence of her still, crying body, the glisten of her tears visible in the moonlight. Although accustomed to quiet, having spent years up in the nest with only the lulling sound of the ocean, this was the kind of silence that Crow hated most. The silence of Davy Jones' Locker.

The source of her happiness, Crow realized, was the reclaimed ring around her neck.

"Thank you," Sakura chirped continuing to swab the deck. The smile remained on her face as thoughts of that morning replayed in her head for the umpteenth time: she had woken up before dawn, lying stiffly in her burlap hammock, weightless. How could the Captain just take her father's ring as if he owned every damned thing in the world? The question had plagued her mind all night, yet she surprisingly thought it with no anger. She was too drained to be angry. When the wake up bell rang at sunrise, Sakura had forced herself up. The red sun of daybreak cast jagged shadows into the quarters, and just as she was about to head toward the ladder a glint caught the corner of her eye. At the bottom of her hammock was a golden band— _her ring_— looking more beautiful than it had the day she found it in the cellar.

She knew then that it would be a great day.

Although, she couldn't help but wonder why the Captain gave it back. Perhaps he felt bad…

Like the fate of men given no quarter, the thought quickly drowned.

"Frederick!"

Sakura looked up from her work, spotting the blonde boy from before— Naruto. Her face fell. If there was one thing that could dampen her mood, it was that _name._

"I'm a woman," she deadpanned.

"Could have fooled me." He chuckled to himself, walking over to pat her playfully on her shoulder. Sakura shrugged it off, not amused.

"Listen Freddie, I need your help."

Sakura's annoyed façade quickly twisted into one of bewilderment, "You need _my_ help? For what?"

"I dropped the key to the rum closet among some storage casks. My muscular arms are too massive and defined to fit through the crevices," He explained, playfully gazing at his biceps and flexing, "I figured you can reach it. You know, with your flimsy arms and whatnot."

Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed, a silent agreement— not like she could have said no to the First Mate anyways. Naruto ushered her downstairs to the storage room, pointing at a cluster of barrels against the east wall, "It's somewhere in there. I didn't quite see since it is a bit dark, though I'm nearly positive it's by the wall."

Sakura knelt down, beginning to search the spaces with her petite arm, pressing the side of her face against the casks in order to lengthen her reach.

"Why are you getting into the rum closet?" She questioned, curious.

"Sasuke is going to splice the mainbrace tonight before we dock to resupply tomorrow. He wants to get rid of our last bits of grog," He answered, leaning against a cask with crossed arms.

"How much is left?" Sakura asked, ignoring his casual reference to the Captain.

"Just a few casks. Enough to go by quickly," He mused, "With Sasuke not participating we may be able to slip you a few goblets if you're up for it. Don't tell him I said that though. "

Sakura's hand faltered in its search, her emerald eyes trailing up to Naruto's face "… He doesn't like rum?"

"No, he doesn't like drink."

"You're joking," Sakura gaped.

It was impossible for a pirate _not_ to _drink_; utterly, positively, impossible. Drinking was a part of the pirate culture, practically a part of its _definition_. It was not simply a fact Sakura read in her books, it was common knowledge.

"No. Of course, he does drink sometimes, only in public."

"That's…" She paused, thinking of the right word, "Ironic. Don't most people prefer the opposite? Why would he only drink in public?"

"He's a pirate."

Sakura thought for a minute about what he meant. Why would Sasuke need to drink in public? Suddenly an image of Sasuke standing in a crowd of pirates popped into her head. He was out of place, foreign to the scene. Clean, pressed, and folded, compared to the grimy disarray around him.

"If I had spotted you and him down at the marketplace I would never have suspected you'd be pirates," She confessed. Both of them were too clean. You wouldn't be able to tell them apart from some old schoolyard boys.

"I am much too dashing to be a pirate, aren't I? I knew it!" He said in an obnoxiously snobby voice.

Sakura giggled, wondering aloud, "How did you get into piracy?"

Naruto pressed his lips to the side of his mouth for a moment, his mind traveling back in time, "I worked in the Navy until I was about fourteen years of age before I went on account with Sasuke. We grew up together, did everything together, so when he asked me if I wanted to go on this adventure with him, naturally I said yes."

His romanticism angered Sakura. He spoke as if leaving home, everything you knew and were comfortable with, was easy; as if life itself was as carefree as ocean waves: omnipresent fluidity. Sakura grew cold at the thought of her mother, "How did your parents fair?"

"I have no parents. As far as my memory can recall, I was raised in the Navy, by soldiers. I know as much about my parents as you know about your father," Naruto stated, his sapphire gaze drilling into Sakura's. Deep within the darkness of his pupils she saw something; a mixture between sympathy and gravity. At that moment she felt something shift within her. They were connected in an unspeakable, intangible way. Something about this boy made her want to know more, to find out his past.

"They didn't tell you anything? Not even how they died?"She inquired, barely above a whisper.

Naruto shook his head. Whenever he had asked, the only thing soldiers would tell him was that the Admiral found him on the streets, orphaned, and took him in out of kindness of heart. But Naruto knew there was more to the story than the goodness of a stranger. In this way, he related to Sakura. Her goal, searching for a man she knew nothing about, and her determination, was admirable. Naruto wished he was offered the chance to search for his parents, like Sakura.

But, of course, his parents were dead.

Sakura grunted slightly as the tiny silver key, hidden in the shadows of the cask crevices, touched the tips of her fingers and she called out, "Goddit!"

Naruto looked down at her triumphant expression, a sad smile easing his lips. He knew his arm would always be too big to reach for that key, so he never tried.

* * *

><p>The sun shone low in the sky, clearing mist and morning dew as early risers flowed into the streets of Port Haven. A normal looking bloke— black hair and creamy-white skin— was among them, his boots tapping against the uneven cobble stone path of the market rhythmically, purposefully, as he pushed passed idle vendors and bustling shoppers. It was one of the things Sasuke was grateful for about his appearance; his ability to blend, unnoticed in a crowd. It made things much easier. He and his crew had just arrived at the booming town only minutes prior in order to restock on rations and rum. As soon as the anchor was thrown Sasuke immediately scurried off, leaving Naruto in charge. There was something he needed to do, and he couldn't risk his crew— most of which did not possess the same aesthetic stealth as he—bringing attention to him. As Sasuke reached a familiar junction in the street, he turned the corner into a dark alley, obsidian eyes alert. At the end of the alley, hidden behind a few crates and debris, was a stone staircase leading to a cellar. Sasuke quickly descended, a lone lantern illuminating the landing in a sphere of yellow light. There was a wooden door, the space between its planks previewing the sights and sounds within. Sasuke pushed it open, walking into the heat of the underground pub, the stench of sweat, smoke, and alcohol hitting his face unpleasantly. The scene was as expected. The lighting the same as any pub he has been— dim and candle lit—low chandeliers and wall sconces. In the center of the room men and women danced to the music of the tiny band, and old salts were passed out against pillars or conversing at the bar. It was a pirate saloon. Every port had one, though this was by far the tiniest he'd been in.<p>

Sasuke walked to the bar, uninterestedly ordering a goblet of rum out of habit, not quite having the intention to drink it. As he waited for the bartender to prepare his beverage Sasuke scanned over the room, spotting tables filled with grungy, despicable pirates— experienced seamen. Just what Sasuke was looking for.

Leaving a few shillings on the counter Sasuke approached the group, stopping in front of their goblet clustered table. The men gazed up, the laughter caught abruptly in their throats.

"What do you men know about the Captain of the Seventeen Sails?" Sasuke interrogated, skipping the petty introductions and sugar coating.

One bearded man grinned, revealing a row of rotten, missing teeth.

"'nother eunuch lookin' for some glory," He chuckled, Sasuke's eyes narrowing at the belittling undertone, "Wha's it to you, bub?"

"No business of yours," Sasuke deadpanned, causing the man's face to drop like an anchor, "I'd just like to know what color the Captain's eyes are."

They all burst into laughter at the absurd statement, the biggest of them— a gruff, black bearded man with an enormous gut—saying, "How the bloody hell should we know? We ain't his garlfriend!" An ungodly noise sounded from the group as they tried to contain their laughter once more, droplets of alcohol infused saliva flying from their lips. Sasuke's façade remained as stoic as ever.

"I don't have time for your jokes," He muttered, "If you have seen the man, tell me, if not, then I'll gladly leave."

"Green. Like emeralds."

Sasuke's ears perked at answer. However, the feminine voice from which it originated did not match the faces nor slang of the filthy pirates in front of him. Sasuke gyrated on his heel slowly, eyes locking on the tall blonde woman standing directly behind him. Her hair was slicked back into a high pony tail, the silky ends brushing the middle of her back and exposing her studded ears. Bangles of all kinds clattered on both wrists as her moved to cross her arms. Her cropped shirt was half the length it was meant to be, while her black boots were double, reaching the base of her knee. Though what Sasuke noticed first was the grey blue of her eyes— the color the sky was on a semi-cloudy day. Like the day he first met her.

Ino Yamanaka.

"I haven't seen you since the three of us took away on Ol' Hatake's ship four years ago. Sasuke Uchiha." Ino said, letting his name roll of her tongue. It had an exotic twinge; like the juice of a poisonous fruit. Sasuke grimaced.

"Captain," He corrected.

"My apologies," Ino mocked, bowing her platinum head, "Captain."

"What do you know about the Seventeen Sails?"

"More than you, that's evident. My crew actually caught up with him," Ino scoffed.

"_Your_ crew," Sasuke scrutinized, disbelief marring his words. His mind reeled back to the short, twig-like thirteen year old he met so long ago. Time had turned her into a very good looking and bodacious woman, no doubt. But she would never have the strength to be a Captain. Even if it had been four years seen he last saw her, he knew that about her. Some people, regardless of how much time and training you invest in them, were not meant to be or do certain things. That was how life worked, in Sasuke's opinion.

"The crew I am a part of, I should say. Our Cap'n is a mate of his," She corrected.

"Where's your Captain?"

Ino uncrossed her arms and place them on her hips, "Not 'ere. What bidding do you owe her?"

Sasuke reached into his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper with a wax seal on it, "Have you seen this before?"

Ino took the parchment in her hands, looking over the embossment: the skull and cutlasses, the placement and design. Her thumb and index fingers tightened around the edges of the paper, eyes hardening. She glanced up at Sasuke, "Aye, that's the emblem of the Seventeen Sails."

A smirk crawled its way onto his lips, and without a word he stalked off, leaving the piece of paper in Ino's grip.

"'ey! Where you heading?!" She yelled, but he was gone out the pub door. Blue eyes trailed over the seal once more, her mind reeling. How in the world did Sasuke get this? It was too authentic. Ino tucked the evidence into the pouch slung over her shoulder, pressing her lips into a thin line.

She would make sure to show her Captain.

* * *

><p>Jun bobbed from shop to shop, searching for supplies and rations, Sakura following close behind. For an old man he was extremely brisk, Sakura noted, even she had trouble keeping up. Occasionally he would glance over his shoulder to make sure she was still there, shooting her a stern, ardent look. Sakura would roll her eyes, suppressing a scowl at his guardedness. She knew he was in charge of her, and that it was his job to keep her out of trouble, but she couldn't help resist his suppressive chains. She wasn't used to being so closely watched. They didn't need to worry about her getting in trouble; she was in a bloody market square! What could possibly go wrong?<p>

Sakura exhaled, letting her anger dissipate into the air. She would need to get used to it if…

Before Sakura could scurry toward Jun's energetic figure once more, something from behind snatched her elbow and was ushering her forward. Sakura's green eyes snapped to her left, spotting Naruto's golden spikes adorned with his signature orange bandana. She shot him a confused frown, but he just stared ahead, leading them toward Jun.

"'ey Salty," Naruto acknowledged once they reached the scruffy looking man. Jun glanced curiously over his shoulder at the couple before turning around, abandoning the rags he had been looking at under a nearby hut, "Mind if I steal the lil' missy?"

Jun's expression hardened, calculating eyes vertically panning Naruto, drilling for an ulterior motive. Surprisingly, he found none. Usually he _always_ found an ulterior motive in the boy. A pang of doubt cultivated within him, suspicion subsiding. He quickly pushed the feeling away. More often than not Naruto _was_ up to something, no need to be doubtful or feel remorseful at the assumption. It's just that, throughout the years, Naruto's gotten better at hiding it.

"What do you need her for, boy?" Jun grumbled, the toothpick between his lips stiff with his clenched jaw.

"Just figured I'd take her off your hands," Naruto explained, linking his fingers behind his head nonchalantly, "The Bastard's off doing business, so I'm in charge. I need her for something."

Jun glanced between the two younguns sternly, stubbornly, trying to figure out a way to fight Naruto's verdict without going against the Captains. After a few moments he simply grunt, turning around to resume his business.

"That's Jun for 'get the hell outta here'." Naruto whispered, nudging Sakura down the main road. As they walked Sakura expected Naruto to tell her why he bailed her out, or his hidden plan, but he didn't say a word. He simply remained silently in step beside her.

The market place was abnormally busy for early morning. Usually trading began light in the day, reaching its peak at noon before dying down again. But this market was alive and active— probably all trying to snag the newest imports. Many different kinds of people were out and about

Sakura was too busy people watching that she barely noticed her accidental bump against a middle aged women ambling by.

"Pardon me," she immediately apologized, though to no avail. The lady, who seemed older in the face than in stature, just shot her a wide eyed, mad look and scurried off.

As a third party observer, Naruto dissected the exchange with narrowed eyes. There was something innately wrong about Sakura— girl turned boy turned pirate— apologizing to an ordinary pedestrian. The scene was too innocent.

"For as much as you claim to be a pirate you sure don't act the part. You need the tongue of a pirate, Frederick, not just the garb," Naruto scolded.

"But _you_ don't talk like a pirate," Sakura shot back.

"I'm the _First Mate_. You're a cabin boy. You've got a whole lot more people to impress than I do. And for starters you've got to impress me."

"You? Why _you_?"

"Because I'm the most impressionable member of the crew," He admitted, crossing his arms, "And I'm not impressed."

Sakura frowned at the cobblestone, trying to recall all of the pirate-esque information she had studied and practiced beforehand. It all seemed washed away with the sea.

"What do you suppose I do, then?" she snapped, looking at Naruto from under her eyelashes.

"How about you," Naruto began, trailing off for a minute as he scanned the area for an idea. The darting of his irises came to a halt, falling on a group of seamen along the docks of the harbor. They were loading buckets of grain onto their vessel; their shoulders broad and chiseled, figures somewhat stout. They weren't old nor young.

"Talk to them," Naruto finished, pointing his finger in their direction, "In your best pirate tongue."

"You can't be serious."

"I am."

"I can't. What if I'm horrible?"

"Oh I know you'll be horrible, which is precisely why you need practice."

"What do I talk about?"

"I dunno, the weather? _Act natural_! Pirates are humans too you know," Naruto said, roughly shoving Sakura toward the Harbor. Sakura straightened her spine and pulled back her shoulders, strolling up to the men with what could be mistaken for as confidence. Naruto stepped back to watch, shaking his head at her mock attempt at acting natural, "Geez, what a landlubber."

He could hear her first words from where he was standing, and they made him want to face palm.

"Ahoy, maties! Fair winds we be havin'."

The working men all turned confused, irritated eyes to Sakura and she suddenly felt small and insignificant; like she was stranded in the middle of the ocean on nothing but a plank of driftwood.

_Damn Naruto to hell for this._

" Err… 'right… ," She stuttered, scratching her elbow nervously as she struggled to find the right words— Naruto's faint snickers in the background only made focusing that much more difficult. Once she found them she took time to translate them into pirate tongue, allowing a heavy silence to permeate and pull at the continuously waning patience of the men, "I've got but a minor question, 'n' then I'll be outta yer hair, me promise. Ye all seem like able, well-knowing men, and so I desire to pester ye only for a minute to ask if ya know anything about… err, 'em pirate Keys which lead to the Million Pieces of Eight treasure that everybody's been speaking about."

Naruto's snickers caught in his nose like a suppressed sneeze, eyes widening as he stumbled over to Sakura, stepping in between her and the men— who, he must admit, were a lot larger up close— "Uh ahoy, g-gents, uh, what the laddie means is, uh, do you know where the keys, that open chests are, in um—"

"Aye… we've heard of them," the scrawniest— yet still massive— man answered, standing with his legs shoulder length apart on the creaky wood of the dock. He was a natural tower with an intimidating voice. Sakura was pleasantly surprised to see that even while standing next to him, Naruto, a noticeably shorter and less build man, held his own. He seemed completely unaffected by the physical difference, possessing an air of domineering, male headship— almost exactly like that of Sasuke, though with less obscurity.

"Come again?" Sakura blurted.

"There's one rumored to be in the next port over, but don't say ye heard it from us."

Naruto narrowed his eyes; he sensed something was off. Pirates didn't just _tell _other pirates where Keys were. Though, as he looked from face to face, neither one seemed to be lying. One of the pirates, the tallest, sought to clear up the evident suspicion.

"We 'eard some others talking about it," He said, "It was an old lady pirate I believe. With a massive crew too, all woman. Seemed reliable enough."

Golden eyebrows drew together at the mention of the name. Naruto felt like he had remembered a Captain like that… but he couldn't put a name or face on it.

"Thanks, gents," Naruo saluted, dusting off the thought for another time. The answer would eventually come to him.

The couple walked off to the red cobblestone of the main road once agin, and when she was sure they were deep enough into the crowd Sakura turned to Naruto, a displeased look knotting her round, feminine face.

"I could have handled it. And I thought I was pretty convincing. Why'd you interrupt?"

"Because you don't just ask a pirate about the _Keys_! That's daft and impulsive, begging for the hangman's noose! Don't you think before you act?!" Naruto nearly exploded, drawing curious glances from bystanders.

"How else do we find out where they bloody are?!" Sakura hissed back. It's wasn't like she had a compass built into her that pointed to where they were, as she had hoped her fathers ring would do. There was no other way to find them unless they asked.

"We look for them on our own. If we were supposed to ask for them then you bet your ass off we'd already have the treasure. The Keys are black market business, not open market, Frederick! GUH!"

"Then why do you think they told us, _huh_?"

"Because… they either lied and are planning on attacking us later, or aren't looking for the treasure and therefore don't care whether we know or not." Naruto looked back at the men, skeptical. They didn't look like much— aside from their brawniness— just simple fishermen at a glance, "Low ranked ships never search for as great a treasure as this, fearing the competition. They may be telling the truth, though I can't be sure."

Before Sakura could open her mouth to defend her actions, an explosion sounded off in the distance, shaking the ground ever so slightly. All heads in the market place snapped in its direction, black smoke visibly rising above the brick buildings no more than a few blocks down.

"Time to go."

* * *

><p>"Bastard," Naruto panted as he and Sakura jumped onto the ship within seconds of departure, "I have some... good… and bad… news."<p>

All hands on deck darted their eyes and bent curious ears to the newcomers, still working on setting sail. Sasuke, who had been standing in the middle of the deck barking commands to the laboring crew members, turned on his heel leisurely, raising a brow.

"Well?"

"There may be, possibly, another Key at the next port."

"How do you know?" Sasuke questioned calmly.

"You see that was the good news, the bad news is—"

"_I_ know," Sakura butted in, grinning like a kid in a candy shop, "I found out, because some pirates told me."

Unlike any other human on the face of the earth, Sasuke possessed an uncanny talent at hiding his emotions. Like an actor with a dispassionate mask, the only way to discern his feelings is by studying his actions and words. And even in this area, he was a difficult map to read. It took a truly skilled person to see passed the mask; someone who had the privilege of seeing Sasuke's true façade. Naruto had been the only person to experience this phenomenon, and he could safely say he knew very well what Sasuke was thinking when others didn't.

For example, no one picked up on the way Sasuke's eyes widened less than a millimeter, the quick dilation of his irises, and the twitch of his fingers on both hands, as if he was restraining the urge to ball them into fists. Or the way he unconsciously slid his feet to widen his stance, and slightly lifted his chin. These changes in body language were subtle, infinitesimal, yet no matter how weird Naruto felt for noticing, he knew that they were crucial in understanding Sasuke.

And at the moment, no one but Naruto knew just how pissed Sasuke was.

_Shit._

"It seemed completely mad at first," Naruto explained, hoping to extinguish the fire in his best friend's soul, "But she just asked a faction of pirates if they knew where the next Key was and they actually told her. They didn't seem to be lying, since they appeared low ranked. It was stupid move, yet brought brilliant results."

Sasuke approached the cocky, grinning Sakura, staring down into her shiny eyes.

"Don't do it again," he ordered.

Naruto sweat dropped.

"Why not?"

"Because by doing that you put the entire crew in danger."

"Well, how else am I supposed to find out where the Keys are?"

"You shouldn't be worrying about that."

"Why the hell not?" Sakura exploded, using the tips of her toes as a futile attempt to gain some inches on Sasuke, "The closer we get to completing this map the closer I get to my father, right? I have _good_ _reason_ to worry."

Sasuke's onyx eyes narrowed darkly at her words. So she wanted to find her father, eh? He didn't know that was her true intention. Sakura, oblivious to her slip up, continued, "I can't just sit around and wait for you to find them, Captain. Give the rest of your crew a chance."

Sasuke's fists clenched fully, and for a second Sakura— and Naruto— thought that he would hit her.

"I _do_ give my crew a chance, cabin boy, but you, I'm afraid, are not a part of my crew," he spat.

Not… a part of the crew? Sakura frowned, the center of her aching like the sting of a wasp. She watched Sasuke spin around and walking away, her original retort long lost in the back of her throat.

"But what I did worked, didn't it? You can't argue with that!" She finally called, but it was too late, for before she could even finish he had vanished behind the door of his quarters. _How dare he?_ Sakura inwardly seethed. _Not a part of the crew? _She had signed the damned Articles— a clear and legal indication that she was a part of the crew! And he _made_ her sign the Articles as an agreement to keeping her on board; he _made_ her a part of his crew. He was so _infuriating_ it made her insides boil.

Sakura calmed herself quickly.

Sasuke was an ass. She could learn to accept that and move on, or be miserable for her entire journey.

Suddenly in high spirits, she turned to the crew, exclaiming with all the triumphant her soul could muster, "What did I tell you blokes?"

The crew burst into laughter and applause, and Sakura couldn't help but feel like the _true_ Captain of the crew.

After the noise died down Jun spoke up, a hint of a smile crinkling around his toothpick, "Ye said ye would find it. Ye 'aven't done that yet."

"Our journey is still young, fellers, and I promise you I'll be the one to find it," Sakura declared self-righteously.

"Your arrogance reminds me of someone," Naruto laughed, and despite being directly compared to her sole enemy and oppressor, the epitome of an egotistical Yeti, Sakura laughed too.

"Wonderful work, Love," Crow said, swinging an arm around Sakura's shoulder, fanning his palm dramatically over the rising sun, still low in the sky, "You're one step closer to your goal. Beyond that unforgiving horizon lies the Key to your success. We shall celebrate this major step in the Odyssey of Lady Sakura Haruno by splicing the mainbrace tonight! Pass the Nelson's folly and rejoice, my fellow gents!"

Jun removed Crows arm from Sakura and smacked the boy on the back of the head. From how often he got hit there, Sakura was surprised he didn't suffer permanent brain damage— or maybe he did, it was hard to tell. He ought to be numb to the pain by now.

"W'o gives ye the authority to plunder our cellar, in search of rum? Back to the crow's nest where ye belong!" Jun grumbled, shaking his finger disapprovingly at Crow.

Crow looked at Naruto for approval.

The First Mate and second in command shrugged, a smirk in place, "It's not like we're short."

It was true: they had _just_ restocked their rum.

Hearing the loud and joyous uproar from outside, Sasuke peaked between the blinds of his window.

_"Tch."_

* * *

><p><strong>Nothing like rum as motivation to get your work done, right? <strong>

**Sooo I know I haven't been able to update in a while, and I'm sorry. I've been super busy ALL the time, and finally my life is starting to slow down. I'm finished with college stuff (almost… still waiting to hear back from a few), and I am almost positive I know where I am going. WOOP WOOP.**

**So yeah. HOORAY FOR UPDATES BEFORE THIS STORY'S ANNIVERSARY! I'm quite ashamed at how long I have been unable to write, and again I apologize.**

**BUT WOW. The number of reviews I got last chapter was FREAKING AWESOME. Seriously. I felt really good afterwards and it's why I've been laboring away to get this and the next chapter out very soon!**

**Can we do that again? Maybe make it to 50+? It would make my life and honestly cheer me up (I've received too many college denies for one person to handle… Product of applying to 12, I guess) But yeah, reviews make me happy :)**

**PS: So sorry for spelling/grammar mistakes. I really wanted to get this out to you guys. Also, I apologize for the lack of a cliff hanger. The next chapter WILL have one. NO DOUBT.**

**See y'all soon!**


	4. The Secret of a Lifetime

| [A Million Pieces of Eight] |

Chapter IV: The Secret of a Lifetime

By Miasmic

"Cabin boy."

The name rang in Sakura's ears like the tolling of the morning bell, making her cringe with baseless disdain. It was a derogatory nickname— albeit it being her proper rank— and she hated it nonetheless. Jun knew this, and so when he saw her that morning he greeted her with a taunting smirk and a hand to his forehead in a sailor's salute, the Godawful "cabin boy" whistling passed the toothpick in his mouth. Sakura glared, crossing her arms in a blatant refusal to salute back.

"It's rude to ignore your superiors, laddie," he challenged, eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"It's rude to call people names, Old Salt," she shot back.

"Look who's talkin'," he chuckled, "Hypocrite."

Sakura lifted her chin, undeterred by his obvious attempt at belittlement. There was a brief moment of a headed stare off between the two, before Jun, amused by her puny physique and enormous spirit, forfeited—

—Though, much to Sakura's contempt, not without having the last word.

"Step to cabin boy. Unless ye think ye can find that Key by jus standin' there," he order, beginning to walk away before Sakura could muster a witty reply. Reluctant to obey, she moved about to help Crow with the rigging.

"Morning, Love," he greeted with a yawn.

"Morning. What's wrong?"

"Ahh… I was loaded to the gunwall last night…" Crow said, rubbing his eyes as if to get rid of their dark circles on his paler than usual face.

Sakura chuckled, recalling the events of the previous night— Crow's legs caught up in the ratlines, a bottle of rum swinging in hand as he slurred the lyrics to Here's To The Grog. He was suffering from a crippling hangover.

"But you had fun?" She asked, playfully nudging his side.

"Aye, aye, of course! I don't think I've seen the crew that scatterbrained since ancient times. You've put us under a spell, Lady Haruno!" Crow said dramatically.

"What a charming thing to say," She mocked, as Crow swung an arm around her shoulder, gathering her into a friendly cuddle. Sakura smiled, unable to shake the warmth she felt when around him. They had a strange kinship, one that had formed quickly and only grew stronger with time. She supposed they were a bit like soul mates— in a way that was less like lovers and more like siblings— and while she had not been oblivious to Crow's palpable flirting, she knew he had nothing but good intentions for her.

Sakura was ready to push Crow away when she spotted a strange man staring at her from afar. She had never seen the bloke before— probably a noobie to the crew, like herself. Perhaps that was why he was staring so intently at her, she thought, hoping to make a friend. Though upon further inspection, Sakura deduced that he wanted anything but that. He had short black hair; wide, accusing eyes; a clean shaven face; and a prominent, square jaw. He was thin, almost sickly, and had such sinister aura it made Sakura want to shiver.

"I think someone's going to tattle you to the Captain," she joked, nodding to the stranger.

"Wha?" Crow said, tracing her sight, "Oh. That's just Kai. Queer ol' eunuch, he's pro'a'ly just jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Naruto said as he strode by, elbowing Crow in the ribs, instantly causing him to retract his arm in pain,.

"We're less than three leagues nigh the port! Step lively!" Naruto called, moving away from a giggling Sakura and injured Crow to the upper deck.

"You needed to speak?" he said, eying the captain.

"You were right," Sasuke disclosed, absently steering the wooden wheel to and fro, "She has pirate blood."

"Really?" Naruto gushed, the triumph evident in his voice before being squashed by his counterparts glare, "How do you know?"

"That ring around her neck was her fathers and it bears the insignia of the Seventeen Sails. It's not just any old family heirloom. I checked with Yamanaka back at the port."

"You saw Yamanaka again? Why didn't you tell me, you bastard!" Naruto whined, "How is she? I bet she's turned into a _fine_ young lady."

"Doesn't matter."

"Of course it doesn't matter to _you_, who even with brilliant eyesight is blind to the female being," Naruto scoffed, "_I_ liked her. She was pretty."

"I called you here to talk about the girl," Sasuke reminded, "The _other_ one."

"Right, right," Naruto murmured, "Isn't that good news? Now we know she's an asset."

"Her asset to us is limited, as we can't expect to catch the Seventeen Sails, at least not on water," Sasuke estimated.

"But her power as an asset is infinite."

"What do you think?"

Everyone who had ever had the kismet of "befriending" Sasuke knew that he was the epitome of a self made, self reliant man who took pride in all individual successes, even if it came at a social cost. It was rare for him to ask for help— it meant that somehow the infamously brilliant mind of Sasuke Uchiha was stumped— and when he did, it was only asked of by those closest to him.

"My thoughts remain the same as when we first found her," Naruto offered, knowing just how valuable his opinion was to the Captain, his best friend.

Sasuke thought over this for a second, his brain quickly stringing together the pros and cons.

"If she becomes too much of a burden we'll have to leave her," he said at last, "Let the crew know, secretively. I don't want her knowing of this."

"Aye aye," Naruto smiled, turning toward stairs leading to the lower deck. However, before he descended the steps to do the captains bidding, he couldn't help but add softly, "I sort of like having her around."

Whether it was intended for Sasuke's ears of not, Naruto's words had Sasuke regretting his decision. Sakura's presence becoming wholly welcomed by the crew was the worst possible outcome, especially if she had an exhaustible benefit, and the fact that it was already happening stressed him out even more. He would admit, she certainly did have a positive effect on the crew, and she technically provided a clue for finding the next Key— all in all she hadn't been a burden yet. He just hoped, if anything were to happen, Naruto of all people wouldn't fall too much under her spell and lose sight of their true goal.

This is why women were too troublesome to have on board, Sasuke thought. They caused men, pirates, to go crazy, to act in ways they normally wouldn't. They could easily be the downfall of any great, invincible man— like Achilles heel. More than his worry for Naruto, though, Sasuke was worried about himself. That was why, against all odds, he was determined to stay away from Sakura Haruno.

* * *

><p>Sasuke was Naruto's long time rival. It was a fact that no member of the crew besides Jun was aware of, as Naruto kept it hidden for the sake of peace and order. What would the crew think if they found out their First Mate and Captain were having a power struggle? They would mutiny and challenge their authority, dividing the company. It was better kept a secret, for the benefit of all involved.<p>

This secret, although nothing quite as scandalous as most, was a secret of a lifetime— in fact their rivalry dated as far back as their first meeting at age 7, when Sasuke joined the ranks of the Navy. Naruto remembered it as clear as day.

"_Didya hear? The Uchiha boy's been sent in as a cabin boy."_

"_Already?! It's only been a day since the funeral! The boy needs time to build himself back up before he even begins an apprenticeship!"_

"_It's cruel. Though I reckon his father's scared he'll end up like her, so he sent 'im straight into the Navy. Perhaps to beat him up into a good Commodore, like his brother. That way he won't even think of betraying the state."_

"_I supposed I would be too if I was—"_

"_IZUMO! KOTETSU!"_

_Naruto was standing soundless in the storage room, ears perked behind shaggy blonde hair as the two officers gossiped in the hall. Upon hearing their names both men scurried away, stumbling to their impatient caller on the other side of the deck. A new cabin boy, Naruto thought curiously, Interesting. Though, strangely, he hadn't seen said cabin boy at all. Curious and excited, he stepped out of the room, ready to embark on an adventurous search for his— hopefully— new friend. _

"_Oi, Lieutenant Ebisu. I have a qu—"_

"_Naruto! I've been looking everywhere for you! Where have you been?!" He blurted, frantic and high pitched, "The Cook has requested your aid in the kitchen immediately! Do not keep him waiting any longer!"_

_Ebisu reached down and grabbed Naruto's small elbow, dragging him in the direction of the kitchen and causing a defiant scowl to twist his face. He pulled away harshly, yelling, "L-let go, Ebisu! Don't be so dramatic! He's a bloody cook, he can cut his own vegetables!"_

"_That is Lieutenant to you, CABIN BOY!"_

"_Whatever, __**Ebisu**__." Not giving a rat's ass whether he got punished for this later or not. Out of all the lieutenants, Naruto hated Ebisu the most. It astonished him to think that the man actually made it to such a high rank. Perhaps becoming an Admiral wasn't as difficult and great of an accomplishment as everyone made it to be._

"_I am tired of your constant disrespect to me and every other crewmember here! Do your job before the Admiral hears of this insolence and has you discharged," Ebisu threatened, pushing his obnoxious spectacles up the bridge of his nose._

"_I'm seven, he can't discharge me," Naruto glared, crossing his arms, "And why do I have to do all the dirty work? What's that new Cabin Boy doing, huh? Nothing! I bet you are going easy on him 'cause he's new! Well I was once new too, and I didn't get any slack!"_

_Ebisu froze at the mention of the new Cabin Boy, his eyes studying Naruto's impatient face. "It can't be…" He straightened his back, his voice calm yet stern as he asked, "Where did you hear of this?"_

_Naruto blinked, unsure if he should admit he was spying, "Um, I-I overheard a few seamen talking about it and—"_

_Before Naruto could finish the Lieutenant had vanished. Naruto scowled, turning on his heel and dragging his feet down the hall. "Pfft," He said with the roll of his eyes, "What's so great about this new kid? No one was this excited when__** I**__ first came."_

_Already he could feel himself getting jealous. So far, it didn't seem like he and this kid were going to be comrades, even if he hadn't met him yet._

_He decided to go up to the kitchen and see what the cook needed, despite his insides screaming for him not to simply because he didn't like following Ebisu's orders. Once there the cook sent him back down to the rations storage room, consequentially one of the darkest storage rooms on ship, prompting the use of one of those irritatingly hot lanterns. Last time Naruto handled fire he caught the National Flag ablaze in front of the governor. To say the Navy officers gave him a whipping was a bit of an understatement. Nevertheless, Naruto pushed the creaky door open, light in hand. This is such busy work, Naruto thought. Being a Cabin Boy was supposed to help you familiarize with the maritime trade, yet the only thing the officers used him for was to fetch rum and to do the dirty work they neglected. In his two years he'd learnt absolutely nothing. Depressed at this realization, Naruto shuffled over to the casks of preserved food, tripping over a miscellaneous object that clearly did not belong there. The lantern nearly fell from his hand, though Naruto quickly caught himself, preventing the entire food supply from catching fire. Naruto sweat dropped, not wanting to think about the retribution if such a ghastly thing were to happen._

"_What the—?" He said, flashing his lantern at what had caught his foot. It felt like something long and round, like a tiny log. When the light illuminated the object before him Naruto yelped, falling back. He held out the lantern shakily, studying what he had considered at that very moment to be the face of death. It was a little boy, no younger than him, with a face that seemed to have aged decades beyond his years. His hair was black and disheveled, shading eyes so empty that Naruto was amazed fresh tears were still streaming from them. Weak boned, Naruto stood._

"_Hey," he said, frowning as the boy simply stared straight ahead, lost from the world, "You're not supposed to be down here."_

_The boy didn't budge._

"_Didn't you hear me? Leave, before I get in trouble." _

_The boy remained seated._

_Naruto narrowed his eyes, squatting down to the boys level, balancing on the balls of his feet, "You're the new Cabin Boy, aren't ya?"_

_There was no response. Naruto stared into the kid's empty eyes, pity mobbing his intestines. Was the boy crying because his parents sent him into the Navy ranks? What a baby, Naruto grimaced inwardly. He stood, shooting the poor boy a condescending look. _

"_Look," He said, "I didn't cry one bit when they sent me here two years ago. Grow up, you baby!"_

_He turned swiftly on his heel, making his way to one of the casks to get what the cook had asked for, when he felt something hook his ankle, causing him to stumble forward again. "YOU LITTLE—!" Naruto seethed, a clenched fist swinging around to knock the tiny tears right off the kid's face, only to stop short at an empty room. _

_Naruto blinked._

_The kid had disappeared…_

_It was a year later when Colonel Tekka approached Naruto with the exciting news that he would learn how to shoot his first musket._

"_YES! YESSSSSSSSS! FINALLY!" Naruto screamed, jumping up and down with a pumped fist._

"_Naruto," Tekka scolded, "Calm down, or else you have to wait another year."_

_Naruto's wide grin fell into a pout as he lowered his arms, his joy killed. They were at the Navy Headquarters at Black Salt Cove, Tekka leading the ecstatic boy to the training grounds. There was an old wooden fence placed 90 meters away from several straw dummies, two muskets leaning against it. Naruto's eyes glistened at the sight as he ran ahead of Tekka._

"_Ooooh is this mine?!" he ogled, grabbing the first musket._

"_NARUTO!" Tekka scolded again, a vein popping from his forehead, "Do NOT touch those until I teach you how to properly use them!"_

"_Colonel Tekka," a man greeted from the behind, "I've brought Young S—"_

"_WHAT'S __**HE**__ DOING HERE?!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the shorter of the two newcomers. He could spot that kid's burned-bread hair and smug look from leagues away. The same hair and face that made Naruto's blood boil on sight. Sasuke smirked at the blonde's reaction._

"_Same reason you're here," He responded coolly. Naruto's jaw dropped, his face shooting between the officers present, pressing for affirmation. Tekka nodded._

"_NUH UH!" Naruto blurted, "WHY?! THAT'S NOT FAIR COLONEL TEKKA! I'VE BEEN HERE THREE YEARS, HE'S BEEN HERE ONE!" He held up his fingers for emphasis, pouting._

"_That doesn't make you any older than him, Naruto," Tekka explained, rubbing his temple at the volume, "Keep this up and you'll be watching Sasuke practice."_

_That shut Naruto up for a while._

_Tekka had showed both boys how to shoot, reload, and carry a musket, telling them to aim at the closest target 15 meters away. It took Naruto three tries to hit it, though when he turned, a big smile on his face, he found out Sasuke had done it in one. He felt the heat rise to his head, his fingers trembling with competition, the envy to surpass this boy— a boy who was supposed to be lower than him, looking up to a veteran like himself._

"_Good. Now the next target," Tekka said, observing the two boys reload. Naruto took a deep breath, readying the gun calmly. He told himself to relax. That would be the only way to beat Sasuke. He couldn't let his arrogance get to him. All he need to do was focus on the target 30 meters away and pull the—_

_BANG!_

_Naruto stiffly turned his head, gun still loaded, to see a puff of white smoke fill the air next to him. The 60 meter target collapsed to the ground._

"_Sasuke!" Tekka gasped, amazed, "You shot the fourth target! Not even some Colonel's could get that in one shot!"_

_Naruto gritted his teeth, glaring. "Tch. Show off. The fourth target's easy."_

"_That's big talk for someone with little skill," Sasuke taunted, reloading his musket. Naruto suppressed a growl, reminding himself to remain calm. Just focus on number four, he repeating in his head. Closing one eye as he aimed. He'd get this one, he just knew it. He'd show Sasuke who was better. Naruto pulled the trigger, the immediate smog blocking his view. When it cleared all the only difference in the picture was a new crater in the ground._

"_Were you aiming at the first or the fourth? I couldn't tell."_

_Some people say egos are like clouds, each unique with a certain distance from earth, a certain thickness, and a certain size and color. Naruto thought Sasuke's ego was a hurricane._

_After that, Naruto practiced musket shooting every day…_

"_This is the Honorable Grandson of the Noble Governor of our Blessed Town, Konohamaru," Lieutenant Ebisu explained, patting a smiley kid on the shoulder, "He'll be a new Cabin Boy, treat him well."_

"_Great," Sasuke mumbled sarcastically._

"_Great!" Naruto piped happily, "Now I have someone to look up to me as their superior!"_

"_Do me a favor, Konohamaru," Ebisu stated, gaining the boys attention, "__**Don't**__ look up to Naruto."_

_Naruto glared, placating the child, "Don't listen to ol' swabbie Ebisu. I'm the best teacher around, isn't that right Sasuke?"_

_Sasuke remained silent, simply raising his brows, wondering why Naruto would ever ask him such a thing, of all people. Ebisu forced his spectacles up, a habit unchanged since Naruto first met the man, almost spitting all over the two twelve year old boys as he yelled, "That's LIEUTENANT TO YOU, NARUTO!"_

"_Whatever," The blonde grumbled, shooing the old man away. When the three were alone, he grinned at Konohamaru creepily, "I'm going to be the best teacher EVER!"_

_Konohamaru grimaced, "I don't want you as my teacher! I want him!" He pointed a tiny finger at Sasuke, causing that oh-so-resentful big ego to rise to the surface. A minute later Ebisu was faced with a crying Konohamaru with a steady, yet painful bump forming on his head…_

_Naruto was fourteen when Sasuke came up to him with the proposition of becoming pirates. They had grown to be great friends over the years, yet still rivals. Of course he said yes immediately. He hadn't given it the slightest thought at first. It wasn't like he had anything to lose, besides a well deserved Navy title. Leaving his best friend to a dangerous world by himself was out of the question. Besides, a part of him really wanted to become a pirate; it not only added a little spice to his life, a new challenge in which Naruto could rise above Sasuke, but he felt it in his gut. Not long after becoming a cabin boy in the navy, an old pirate had snuck onto their ship and told him he looked a lot like his father. It had led him to believe that perhaps the mystery behind his parents' death could be solved. Through piracy…_

_Three young teenagers were thrown onto the floor of the Captain's quarters; two boys and a girl, each were restrained by chains and shackles. A tall figure stood at the center of the room, back to them. Three pairs of eyes shakily scrutinized his omnipotent demeanor in the a few moments of silence before he turned to them. The man had an eerie façade— grey disheveled hair, an eye patch over one eye, and a black bandana covering his mouth. _

"_Why are you here?" He inquired nonchalantly, twirling a few key rings._

"_We requested 'parley'," The blonde girl stated, gazing at him warily._

"_Parley?" The man repeated._

"_Parley," Naruto affirmed, nodding his head, "It means we get to see the Captain of the vessel before we are punished. It says so in the Privateer and Buccaneer Codes, s'well as the Codes of the Brethren Court."_

"_Aye aye I know what it __**means**__. What I meant was why are you on my ship?"_

_The three looked at each other blankly._

"_We want to be pirates?" The blonde girl, Ino, said, lacking her usual confidence._

_The man looked unmoved, "Really?"_

"_Really," Sasuke stated. The man analyzed the dark haired teenager before him, nothing the determination in his eyes and hearing the firmness of his words. The man had a terrific eye when it came to character; he could read Sasuke like a book. It was clear he had a quality the other two did not possess._

"_You would give up your peaceful lives full of joy and love, for one full of crime and hatred?"_

_Ino and Naruto looked down, though Sasuke remained strong, daring to look into the man's lone eye. _

"_Yes."_

"_You are still young. You could live normal lives, marry normal people, and have a normal, happy family. Becoming a pirate will take that luxury away from you."_

"_I understand."_

"_No, you __**don't**__ understand, that's why I am telling you. You __**think**__ you understand, which isn't the same as actually understanding. Understand?" He said, "Just look at the doubt on your comrades' faces."_

_Sasuke didn't need to look to confirm Naruto and Ino's doubt; he knew it the moment they set foot on the ship._

"_They understand," The man stated._

_Sasuke thought again, replaying the man's words. He had wrestled with the pros and cons for years, and had come to the stanch conclusion that he would not be giving up a peaceful life— after all, you can't give up something you don't have._

"_Think of your parents," The man said, and Sasuke's eyes widened. Images of his mother, of his father, and brother flashed before his eyes, a lethal mix of emotional blending together in the pit of his stomach. His father especially… thinking of him made his fingers tremble in fury._

"_I want to be a pirate," Sasuke proclaimed._

"_I'm sorry, did you say something?" The man uttered, "I was too busy thinking of how stupid you three are."_

"_Hey!" Naruto exclaimed, glaring, "We're not stupid!" _

"_Really? Give me one good reason why you desire to be a pirate," He tested, crossing his arms, "Mmm? And don't say it's where your heart lays, or that your only love is the sea. I've heard that too many times."_

"_We never give up!"_

"_It's an adventure!"_

"_It's in our blood."_

"_What was that?" the man inquired, though he had heard it all loud and clear._

"… _We like an adventure?" Ino squeaked, repeating her tiny tidbit of motivation._

"_No. You," He clarified, staring at Sasuke, "Say that again."_

"_Just as the salt of the sea remains the same despite the changing currents, piracy flows through our veins despite the sand of time. Once a pirate, always a pirate," Sasuke recited._

_The man had recognized the saying, scribed in the pages of an old text he had seen back in his youth. It was a pirate's oath, one he had heard __**her**__ say…_

"_In that case, welcome aboard, haughty seamen… and woman," The man said, shaking his head to keep the memories from crawling back._

_The bewildered expressions of their faces, even Sasuke's, was enough to make even him crack laugh._

"_You've successfully convinced me of your desire to be at sea. Do you not want join my crew? Or is that not the reason you stowed away onto my ship?"_

"_No we do… But, just like that?" Naruto inquired, glancing between his fellow stowaways._

"_I may be a pirate but I don't often lie." The man said, a grin evident in his voice, "Now get up. My quartermaster will get you three settle in and working. Look alive!"_

_The three rose and began to follow the quartermaster out of the room._

"_Hold," the man commanded suddenly, prompting the kids to turn, "Your names."_

"_Ino Yamanaka, Cap'n."_

"_Naruto Uzumaki; best and brightest!"_

"… _Hn, Sasuke Uchiha."_

"_Ah, Yamanaka," The man mused, inspecting the newest members of his crew, putting name to face, and face to family, "I remember your father. We were good friends, he and I, back before I became a Captain. And you two, I assumed you don't know much about your parents."_

_Naruto shook his head at this, while his best friend remained silent._

"_Well, you'll find out about them soon enough," the man said, "Now out, before I re-evaluate my decision."_

"_Wait, what's __**your **__name?" Ino questioned._

"_Why, I'm Kakashi Hatake, Captain of this ship," he answered, "I'm a little offended you don't know that. Seriously, did you just pick a random ship to stowaway on? That's stupid."_

"_But if you're a Captain, why don't you have a Captain's hat?"_

"_A hat's just a hat. You don't need one to be a Captain." Kakashi answered…_

_A few years later Naruto found himself sitting in a rowdy pub, watching countless men sign up to be a part of the new crew of the new Captain Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto had stood there, arms crossed in disdain. He had no idea why he agreed to be Sasuke's First Mate; one step under him. Like he always seemed to be…_

Reflecting back on it, Naruto now knew exactly why he agreed to be Sasuke's First Mate. True, they were rivals, and he'd jump at any chance to beat the poor kid, but above that they were best friends. The fact that Sasuke had even asked him spoke millions about their relationship. And no matter how much he detested being the underdog, he had to stick to his best friend's side. There were times where he considered leaving the crew to start his own, to become a great Captain like Sasuke. However that would mean pitting themselves against each other, and that was something Naruto just couldn't do at the moment, even if they were rivals.

* * *

><p>"Sakura, the Captain requests your presence."<p>

Never in a million years did Sakura think she'd ever hear those words. However, in less than one year it seemed to become reality, for at that very moment she stood at the door of the Captain's quarters, hand hesitantly poised on the metallic knob. What in the world could the Captain want with her? In her short stay he had already made it a point to single her out, steal her belongings, and publically de-womanize her. What was he going to do to her now?

With a frustrated sigh, Sakura swallowed her anxiety and knocked on the door window, translucent flickers of light shining through the thin curtain. She listened for Sasuke's faint, "enter," before allowing herself in. Although she didn't know what to expect of his quarters, Sakura was pleasantly surprised to see that it was neither fit for a prince nor a pauper. It was commonplace, well furnished, pristine compared to the grungy hammocks below deck, and a hundred times more spacious. There were two rooms: the main one, which was decorated with a fancy eastern rug, a large carved desk, a few plush armchairs, a large intricate map on the wall, and numerous other decors; and a bedroom, shut off by an adjoining door on the far end of the main room. The smell of cotton and salt was a welcomed replacement to the grog and sweat Sakura had grown used to.

"You called for me?" Sakura asked, spotting the Captain at his large desk, working by candle light.

"Yes," He said, motioning her over without as much as a glance. Sakura obeyed, halting in front of his desk and peeking curiously at the charts he seemed so absorbed in. They didn't look like anything special, simply nautical sketches and astrological interpretations of bearings.

"I have something for you," Sasuke stated, the deep orange glow illuminating the contours of his face as he abandoned his work to address her. Perhaps it was the way the candle light seemed to melt the normally icy marble of his irises, or simply the addicting smell of cotton and salt that he reeked of, but when Sasuke gazed up at Sakura she practically entered a trance. She had unintentionally tuned him out, becoming less concerned with what he was saying and more concerned with the movement of his lips— the way they could barely move, barely twitch, yet articulate more than words ever could.

This was the key to reading Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura decided. Even a man with such a villainously apathetic facade had a chink in his armor, and Sasuke's was ironically right under his nose.

Sakura didn't know what had initially attracted her to his lips, but now that she was looking she couldn't tear her eyes away. They were captivating. Even a frown seemed to frame—

Sakura's thoughts stopped short when she realized that he was actually frowning. She blinked, returning to reality, only to be stunned again.

Sasuke was holding her hand.

It was a swift movement on his part, and before Sakura could move, speak, or think, Sasuke placed a tiny sack in the palm of her hand.

"…What's this for?" she managed to say, shaking the purse, hearing the rattle of gold coins.

"Buy yourself a decent suit," He explained, vertically panning her figure, "You're disguise is ghastly."

Sakura glared daggers, the insult ultimately restoring her composure and bringing back her fiery spirit. However, as she pondered the situation more closely, the glower— aimed at a stoically unaware Uchiha— softened.

"This is an apology for stealing my ring, isn't it?" Sakura grinned ear to ear. She was too caught up in her ego to see the bewildered rise of Sasuke's brows, "I knew you had a heart! Even the most haughty and fearsome of pirates can have guilty consciences. Well, I would like you inform you, mister _Cap-i-tan_, that I accept wholeheartedly. The gold, not the apology."

And Sasuke smiled.

For the first time since hell froze over.

Or at least it was the first time Sakura had seen him smirk out of amusement. Not his usual sinister, conniving smirk.

"Don't make me take it back," he threatened, smirk still in place.

"Which, the gold or the apology?" Sakura pouted, clutching the sack close to her chest, "I hope you mean the latter."

"Go," he urged, and Sakura was pleased to see that, although the smirk was fading, the delight lingered in his eyes. It was strange to think that Sasuke somehow found her amusing; at least to a certain degree. Albeit reluctant to leave, Sakura turned to scurry off, only to be held in place by an iron grip around her wrist. When she glanced over her shoulder to see her deterrent, she was met with the stone cold, serious face of her captain.

"Sakura," he engaged, holding firm eye contact, and her heart stopped at the sound. It was the first time he had addressed her by her name; normally he called her 'cabin boy,' or 'the girl'. She couldn't deny that she liked the way it spilled from his mouth, like the sound of the world's finest sands falling softly and soundlessly, grain by grain. Nor could she deny, no matter how often she detested this man, the thrill it gave her to be formally acknowledge by him, "_Don't cause trouble._"

With those stern words Sasuke released his grip, allowing Sakura to leave the room in a hurry. Once outside, the chill of night and fresh air helped clear her head from the drug-like effects of Sasuke's quarters. That room was like a sauna, sticky with the toxicity of Sasuke's aura— practically inescapable. It was undoubtedly a dangerous place.

Sakura looked down at her hand, the sack of coins jingling with the flick of her wrist as she thought over the events that had just taken place. What could Sasuke's _real_ purpose be in giving her money? It didn't make sense to tell her to _buy_ clothes. He could've, for all intensive purposes, made her steal the clothes, like a real pirate.

So why give her spending money? Why act like he cares what she looks like? Sakura knew there was an ulterior motive- there _had_ to be. When it came piracy, no one ever did things out of the good in their heart. It was a simply, known fact.

But for some reason, something in the way Sasuke spoke to her made her think differently...

"_Don't cause trouble."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yay! An update!**

**I'm so sorry this has taken me FOREVER. But since this is a long ass chapter, I'm hoping you all will forgive. It was actually supposed to be longer (can you imagine?!), and end in a really awesome cliff hanger, but I had to cut it off here for the sake of length.**

**So I know you all want some SasuSaku fluff/romance, and probably weren't expecting an entire chapter basically dedicated to Naruto, but this chapter is essential to the plot— it reveals a lot of back story that appears later on, and an integral part of all the characters' development. Also, I'm taking this story very seriously, meaning I'm not just going to focus on Sasuke and Sakura, although they are technically the main characters. The progress is slow, but it will definitely be worth it in the end, I promise! And don't worry, SasuSaku fluff will come eventually**

**As for reviews, thank you to all and any who choose to brighten my day with some words of encouragement or constructive criticism. I truly appreciate them, and they definitely motivate me to work towards putting another chapter out**

**I LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**Let's try to get passed 50, yeah? I was hoping we would make it last chapter, but no worries. My ultimate goal is to make it 100+ haha. Thanks again, and remember to review!**

**PS: I always get too excited to proof read my stories, so you know the drill. Excuse any spelling/grammatical errors— I'm literate, I swear**


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